title: Gene expression profiling during differentiation of human monocytes to macrophages or dendritic cells.
abstract: Macrophages and dendritic cells (DC) are APC, which regulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Macrophages function locally mainly, maintaining inflammatory responses in tissues, whereas DC take up microbes, mature, and migrate to local lymph nodes to present microbial antigens to naïve T cells to elicit microbe-specific immune responses. Blood monocytes can be differentiated in vitro to macrophages or DC by GM-CSF or GM-CSF + IL-4, respectively. In the present study, we performed global gene expression analyses using Affymetrix HG-U133A Gene Chip oligonucleotide arrays during macrophage and DC differentiation. During the differentiation process, 340 and 350 genes were up-regulated, and 190 and 240 genes were down-regulated in macrophages and DC, respectively. There were also more that 200 genes, which were expressed differentially in fully differentiated macrophages and DC. Macrophage-specific genes include, e.g., CD14, CD163, C5R1, and FcgammaR1A, and several cell surface adhesion molecules, cytokine receptors, WNT5A and its receptor of the Frizzled family FZD2, fibronectin, and FcepsilonR1A were identified as DC-specific. Our results reveal significant differences in gene expression profiles between macrophages and DC, and these differences can partially explain the functional differences between these two important cell types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Viral Diseases and Immunology, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FI-00300 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahlfors
authors.forename: Ville
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Veckman
authors.forename: Minja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miettinen
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lahesmaa
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Julkunen
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005353:Fibronectins; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C085389:WNT5A protein, human; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D000071818:Wnt-5a Protein