title: Characterization of skin-resident T cells using a crawl-out method and flow cytometry.
abstract: A large fraction of the skin-homing T-cell population resides in the skin even under resting, non-inflammatory conditions. Here, we used a crawl-out culture method to retrieve T cells from human skin and characterized them using flow cytometric analysis. On average, 48000 viable, non-proliferating cells were retrieved per biopsy. We found that human skin contains a larger fraction of IL-17-, IL-4-, IL-10- and IL-22-positive T cells as compared with paired blood samples. Our research indicates that it is feasible to use the crawl-out method in combination with flow cytometry to characterize T-cell subpopulations in patient-derived skin biopsies. This method enables further study of the skin immune system and could function as a valuable tool for evaluation of the effects of immunotherapy in skin diseases.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poot
authors.forename: Mariëlle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thewissen
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Booi
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nieuwhof
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001706:Biopsy; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007249:Inflammation; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000097043:Interleukin-22
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016207:Cytokines; D016753:Interleukin-10; D020381:Interleukin-17; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007378:Interleukins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D000097043:Interleukin-22
keywords: T cell subsets; cytokines; human; skin; skin resident T cells