title: Increased presence of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood of head and neck cancer patients and their differentiation into dendritic cells.
abstract: Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have profound immune deficiencies. In 65% of these patients, there is an increased intra-tumoral presence of immune-suppressive CD34+ progenitor cells. The goal of the present study was to determine whether CD34+ cell levels were also increased in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients and if these immune-suppressive cells could be differentiated into dendritic cells. Our results showed that CD34+ cell levels are increased in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients. To assess if these CD34+ cells could differentiate into dendritic cells, they were isolated from the blood of HNSCC patients and cultured for 12 days with various cytokine combinations. Culturing CD34+ cells with stem cell factor (c-kit ligand) plus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor resulted in the appearance of a significant proportion of cells expressing phenotypic markers characteristic of dendritic cells. Also, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha yielded a significant proportion of cells resembling the bipotential precursor cells for dendritic cells and monocytes (CD14+CD1a+), in addition to the dendritic-like cells. When the differentiation inducer 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] was added along with the cytokine combinations, the yield of cells having characteristics of dendritic cells was further increased. Cells that were derived from CD34+ cell cultures containing 1,25(OH)2D3 had a more potent capacity to present the recall antigen tetanus toxoid to autologous peripheral blood leukocytes and to stimulate a mixed leukocyte response compared to cultures to which 1,25(OH)2D3 had not been added. Our results show that CD34+ cells, whose frequency is increased in HNSCC patients, can be differentiated into cells that phenotypically and functionally resemble dendritic cells and that 1,25(OH)2D3 accentuates this differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Garrity
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pandit
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benefield
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keni
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D017951:Antigen Presentation; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000276:immunology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000494:pharmacology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D002762:Cholecalciferol; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor