title: Conjunctival macrophages act as antigen-presenting cells in the conjunctiva during the development of experimental allergic conjunctivitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) participate in the development of allergic conjunctivitis (AC). However, the conjunctival APCs that take up Ag in AC have not been identified. We sought to clarify the phenotypes of conjunctival APCs that take up, process, and present Ag to T cells during the development of experimental AC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Splenocytes from naïve ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T cell receptor transgenic (DO11.10) mice were stimulated with either OVA, gold, or OVA-gold to evaluate stimulation-induced proliferation. Naïve DO11.10 mice were subconjunctivally injected with PBS, gold, or OVA-gold. Twenty-four hours later, conjunctivas were harvested for immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to identify cells that engulfed OVA-gold.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stimulation of DO11.10 splenocytes with OVA-gold but not gold alone induced similar levels of proliferation as OVA alone. Subconjunctival injection of OVA-gold, but not gold alone, induced infiltration of eosinophils and CD4-positive T cells into the conjunctiva. The cells that took up OVA-gold into their cytoplasma expressed Cluster of Differentiation (CD) 11b, CD68, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that conjunctival macrophages are APCs in the development of experimental AC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku-city, Japan.
authors.forename: Waka
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajisako
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Tamaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van Rooijen
authors.forename: Atsuki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukushima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010047:Ovalbumin