title: Increased occurrence of PGP 9.5-immunoreactive epidermal Langerhans cells in rat plantar skin after sciatic nerve injury.
abstract: This study examines the occurrence and distribution of epidermal dendritic cells (DCs) in cryostate sections from plantar skin in normal rats and in rats with a crush injury or neurotomy and suture of the sciatic nerve. The dendritic cells were visualized with antibodies against protein-gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5). Counts under the fluorescence microscope showed that the occurrence of dendritic cells is increased and that the proportion of dendritic cells in the basal layer is elevated 3 months after sciatic neurotomy and suture but not after a crush lesion. The countings also revealed that the number of cells is elevated as soon as 1 week after neurotomy and suture. Labelling with specific antibodies showed that the dendritic cells examined represent Langerhans cells (LCs). These observations show that there is a neural influence on the occurrence and distribution of PGP 9.5-immunoreactive epidermal Langerhans cells. Whether this influence is direct or indirect remains to be ascertained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stankovic
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hildebrand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009409:Nerve Crush; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013869:Thiolester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D013869:Thiolester Hydrolases; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase