title: Phenotyping of epidermal dendritic cells: clinical applications of a flow cytometric micromethod.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The differential diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases is largely based on the patient's history and the morphological analysis of the skin lesion. Laboratory data, such as serum IgE-level and prick and patch tests, may be helpful but do not assess individual lesions. The assumption of our approach is that each individual lesion is associated with a specific microenvironment and that the immunophenotype of the two epidermal dendritic cell populations, Langerhans cells (LC) and inflammatory dendritic epidermal cells (IDEC), reflects this environment in a disease-specific manner.
  
  
  METHODS
  A flow cytometric micromethod was developed to directly analyze individual inflammatory human skin lesions. Crude epidermal single cell suspensions were prepared by trypsinization, stained for three-color analysis with different monoclonal antibodies and the vital stain 7-amino-actinomycin-D, and finally analyzed on a single laser equipped FACScan flow cytometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a limited set of cell surface markers, such as FcepsilonRI, FcgammaRII/CD32, CD1b and CD36, highly specific diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis and inflamed human skin could be established.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Phenotyping of epidermal dendritic cells is a useful procedure helpful in differential diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. wollenberg@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wollenberg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bieber
mesh_terms: D018949:Antigens, CD1 / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D018955:CD36 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000378:metabolism*; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018949:Antigens, CD1; D015415:Biomarkers; D018955:CD36 Antigens; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D017452:Receptors, IgG