title: Enrichment of unlabeled human Langerhans cells from epidermal cell suspensions by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation.
abstract: In this report we introduce an alternative procedure for enrichment of human epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) from epidermal cell suspensions of normal skin. By means of discontinuous Ficoll-Metrizoate density gradient centrifugation, a fraction containing high numbers of viable, more than 80% pure LC was recovered, as judged by CD1a expression. The purity of the LC-enriched fraction appeared to be dependent on the percentage LC in the crude epidermal cell suspension. LC enriched by this method retained their accessory and antigen-presenting capacities, as determined in the Concanavalin-A induced T-cell response, in the allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction and in the antigen-specific T-cell proliferation assay in vitro. The great advantage of this method is that it is simple and rapid and that the isolated LC are unlabeled.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Teunissen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wormmeester
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kapsenberg
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient / Q000379:methods; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D005362:Ficoll; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000276:immunology; D011205:Povidone; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D013535:Suspensions
chemical_list: D013535:Suspensions; D005362:Ficoll; D007472:Iohexol; C016039:Percoll; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D011205:Povidone