title: Murine thymic plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
abstract: We report herein heterogeneous murine thymic cell subsets expressing CD11c and B220 (CD45R). The CD11c(+)B220(+) subset expresses Ly6C(high) and MHC class II(low) in contrast with previously described thymic DC (CD11c(+)B220(-) cells). Freshly isolated thymic CD11c(+)B220(+) cells show typical plasmacytoid morphology which differentiates to mature DC, in vitro with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) 2216; we term this subset thymic plasmacytoid DC (pDC). These thymic pDC are highly sensitive to spontaneous apoptosis in vitro and induce low T cell allo-proliferation activity. Thymic pDC express low TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 mRNA, normally found on human immature DC, and high TLR7 and TLR9 mRNA, normally found on human pDC. Thymic pDC also produce high amounts of IFN-alpha following culture with CpG ODN 2216 (TLR9 ligands) as compared with the previously defined thymic DC lineage which expresses low TLR9 mRNA and produce high IL-12 (p40) with CpG ODN 2216. These results indicate that thymic pDC are similar to IFN-producing cells as well as human pDC. The TLR and cytokine production profiles are consistent with a nomenclature of pDC. The repertoire of this cell lineage to TLR9 ligands demonstrate that such responses are determined not only by the quantity of expression, but also cell lineage.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology/Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis, Davis 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Zhe-Xiong
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naiki
authors.forename: Aftab A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikehara
authors.forename: M Eric
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gershwin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D039521:CD11c Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051199:Toll-Like Receptor 7; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D039521:CD11c Antigen; C408982:CPG-oligonucleotide; D016207:Cytokines; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2; D051196:Toll-Like Receptor 3; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051199:Toll-Like Receptor 7; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens