title: Identification and expression of mouse Langerin (CD207) in dendritic cells.
abstract: We have cloned the mouse homologue of human Langerin (h-Langerin), a type II transmembrane protein with a single external C-type lectin domain. Mouse Langerin (m-Langerin) displays 65 and 74% homologies in total amino acid and lectin domains with those of h-Langerin. The cognate mouse and rat genes were assigned to chromosome 6D1-D2 and chromosome 4q33 distal-q34.1 proximal respectively, syntenic to the h-Langerin gene on chromosome 2p13. With RT-PCR, m-Langerin transcripts were as expected detected in MHC class II+, but not MHC class II-, cells from epidermis and the expression level was reduced by culture. However, m-Langerin transcripts were also expressed in spleen, lymph nodes (LN), thymus, liver, lung and even heart, but not gut-associated lymphoid tissues. In single-cell lymphoid suspensions, m-Langerin transcripts were mainly detected in the CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC), especially the CD11blow/CD8high fraction of spleen and LN. DC generated from bone marrow precursors by granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) expressed m-Langerin, but this was shut down during maturation with CD40 ligand or lipopolysaccharide. DC derived from blood monocytes by GM-CSF + IL-4 lacked m-Langerin unless the cultures were supplemented with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1. Unexpectedly, significant amounts of m-Langerin transcripts were detected in skin and LN of TGF-beta1-deficient mice, although in much lower amounts than littermate controls. Recombinant m-Langerin could form multimers and bind to mannan-agarose. These findings indicate that Langerin expression is regulated at several levels: by TGF-beta1, DC subsets, DC maturation and the tissue environment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Animal Development and Physiology, Division of Systemic Life Science, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahara
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Omatsu
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yashima
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Shusaku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iyoda
authors.forename: Björn E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Letterio
authors.forename: Ralph M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Steinman
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Kayo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.forename: Bjöern
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Clusen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008297:Male; D008351:Mannans / Q000378:metabolism; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000954:Antigens, Surface; C121916:CD207 protein, human; C498497:Cd207 protein, mouse; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008351:Mannans; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; C508961:Tgfb1 protein, mouse; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1