title: Origin and subset distribution of peripheral blood dendritic cells in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, donor T cells interact with an antigen-presenting cell environment that is distorted in number, level of activation, and origin. The role of antigen presentation in the development of chronic graft-versus host disease (cGVHD) is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  The number and origin of peripheral blood immature myeloid (CD19- CD1c+) and plasmacytoid (BDCA-2+) dendritic cells (DCs) was determined in 30 patients at more than 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with cGVHD had significantly higher plasmacytoid DC numbers than individuals without this complication (9.1+/-2.0 x 10(6)/L versus 3.8+/-0.6 x 10(6)/L, =0.025). Chimerism studies demonstrated that DCs in patients with cGVHD were exclusively of donor origin, whereas persistence of host DCs was observed in some control patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The antigen-presenting cell environment in patients with cGVHD, as represented by immature blood DCs, is of donor origin but distorted in terms of subset distribution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Institute of Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dzionek
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McMullan
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Premini
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mahendra
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Craddock
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: Ronjon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chakraverty
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018949:Antigens, CD1 / Q000032:analysis; D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000032:analysis; D002452:Cell Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018949:Antigens, CD1; D018941:Antigens, CD19; C437944:CD1C protein, human; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens