Murine epidermal Langerhans cells express significant amounts of class I major histocompatibility complex antigens.
Epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) are leukocytes that express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens and function as antigen-presenting and accessory cells. Caughman et al. [Caughman, S. W., Sharrow, S. O., Shimada, S., Stephany, D., Mizuochi, T., Rosenberg, A. S., Katz, S. I. & Singer, A. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 7438-7442] reported that LC are deficient in surface expression of MHC class I antigens, implying a specialization of these cells to class II-restricted antigen presentation. To readdress this obviously important issue, we have studied murine epidermal sheets prepared from B6 X BALB/c----B6 bone marrow chimeras 5 months after irradiation and bone marrow reconstitution. This enabled us to distinguish class I of LC from that of surrounding keratinocytes. When sheets were analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy with monoclonal antibodies specific for donor class I antigens, donor-derived LC but not LC of recipient origin were stained. Appropriate controls for antibody isotype and MHC haplotype were negative. LC in epidermal cell suspensions, prepared from normal BALB/c and BALB/cBy mice (MHC haplotype d), were analyzed by flow cytometry as well as immunofluorescence microscopy. LC were stained by monoclonal antibodies to class I antigens of haplotype d, but not by isotype-matched control antibodies to class I antigens of haplotype k. We also found that LC were virtually depleted from epidermal cell suspensions by treatment with monoclonal antibodies to class I antigens of haplotype d and complement but not by treatment with control monoclonal antibodies and complement. Our data, therefore, show that LC express MHC class I molecules on their surface.
Lenz
A
A
Department of Dermatology, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Heufler
C
C
Rammensee
H G
HG
Glassl
H
H
Koch
F
F
Romani
N
N
Schuler
G
G
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D004423:Ear; D005260:Female; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010641:Phenotype
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D003165:Complement System Proteins