title: Potential antigen-presenting cells in normal extraocular muscles demonstrated with double immunoenzyme staining.
abstract: Antigen-presenting cells are of crucial importance for the initiation and regulation of regional immune responses. In a previous study, indirect morphological evidence that morphologically normal human orbital tissues contain HLA-DR-positive macrophages, which may represent antigen-presenting cells, has ben obtained. In the present study, these cells were characterized in detail using double immunoenzyme staining techniques with monoclonal antibodies directed against several well-characterized monocyte/macrophage markers and against HLA-DR gene products. The orbital muscular tissues appear to contain numerous HLA-DR, monocyte/macrophage marker double-stained cells, which are considered to be potential antigen-presenting cells. The cells are widely distributed in the connective tissue of all the orbital muscular tissues studied and consist of several subsets with different phenotypes. Furthermore, site-specific differences were shown between recti muscles and the levator/Müller's muscles with respect to the distribution of HLA-DR and one monocyte/macrophage marker (OKM5). Many of the orbital antigen-presenting cells appear to be of the dendritic type and are considered to be of major importance in regulating local orbital immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van der Gaag
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tigges
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Van der Loos
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koornneef
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D002452:Cell Count; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D009132:Muscles / Q000276:immunology*; D009915:Orbit / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens