title: Novel function for interleukin-7 in dendritic cell development.
abstract: Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is crucial for the development of T and B lymphocytes from common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) and for the maintenance of mature T lymphocytes. Its in vivo role for dendritic cells (DCs) has been poorly defined. Here, we investigated whether IL-7 is important for the development or maintenance of different DC types. Bone marrow-derived DCs expressed the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) and survived significantly longer in the presence of IL-7. Migratory DCs (migDCs) isolated from lymph nodes also expressed IL-7R. Surprisingly, IL-7R was not required for their maintenance but indirectly for their development. Conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) resident in lymph nodes and spleen were IL-7R(-). Using mixed bone marrow chimeras, we observed an intrinsic requirement for IL-7R signals in their development. As the number of CLPs but not myeloid progenitors was reduced in the absence of IL-7 signals, we propose that a large fraction of cDCs and pDCs derives from CLPs and shares not only the lymphoid origin but also the IL-7 requirement with lymphocyte precursors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tobias K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Finke
authors.forename: Sanjiv A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Luther
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7