Surface phenotype and rapid quantification of blood dendritic cell subsets in the rhesus macaque.
BACKGROUND
The study of dendritic cell (DC) biology in the rhesus macaque is becoming increasingly important but is limited by incomplete characterization and the lack of a rapid assay to quantify cells.


METHODS
We characterized the surface phenotype of myeloid (mDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) subsets in healthy rhesus macaque blood and developed a flow cytometry-based assay for absolute DC determinations.


RESULTS
Rhesus CD11c(+) mDC were CD16(+) CD11b(+) CD56(lo) CD8(-) CD1c(-) whereas CD123(+) pDC lacked expression of these markers. Precise DC determinations were performed using a rapid two-step assay combining the analysis of whole blood and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL).


CONCLUSIONS
Antibodies to CD11b, CD56 and CD16 must be omitted from the lineage antibody cocktail to prevent inadvertent gating-out of DC when analyzing rhesus blood. The combined whole-blood/PBL quantification assay will be invaluable for the rapid and repeated monitoring of blood DC counts in this species.
Brown
Kevin N
KN
Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, and Center for Vaccine Research, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Barratt-Boyes
Simon M
SM