Bone marrow plasmacytoid dendritic cells can differentiate into myeloid dendritic cells upon virus infection.
Two subsets of dendritic cell (DCs), plasmacytoid (p) and myeloid (m) DCs, have been described in humans and mice. These subsets are known to have divergent roles during an immune response, but their developmental course is unclear. Here we report that virus infection induces bone marrow pDCs to differentiate into mDCs, thereby undergoing profound phenotypic and functional changes including the acquisition of enhanced antigen-presenting capacity and the ability to recognize different microbial structures through Toll-like receptor 4. The conversion of pDCs into mDCs is also induced by the injection of double-stranded RNA and requires type I interferons. Our results establish a precursor-product developmental relationship between these two DC subsets and highlight unexpected plasticity of bone marrow pDCs.
Zuniga
Elina I
EI
Division of Virology, Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. ezuniga@scripps.edu
McGavern
Dorian B
DB
Pruneda-Paz
Jose L
JL
Teng
Chao
C
Oldstone
Michael B A
MB
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology*; D010641:Phenotype; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
D007370:Interferon Type I