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242 IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE GUT HOMING DENDRITIC CELLS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD BY EXPRESSION OF β7 INTEGRIN
R.J. Rigby1, A.L. Hart1,2, E.D.A. Westcott2, M.A. Kamm2, A. Windsor2, S.C. Knight1, A.J. Stagg1.1Antigen Presentation Research Group, Imperial College at Northwick Park;2St Mark's Hospital, London, UK
Dendritic cells (DC) are amongst the earliest cells to recognise enteric antigens and shape T cell responses. At least in part, DC in the tissues are derived from immature circulating DC populations. Gut DC may be functionally different from DC at other sites and contribute to the special features of intestinal immune responses. Given that there are markers on peripheral blood DC precursors that identify skin homing cells (CD1c and CLA), this study aimed to identify peripheral blood DC destined to home to the gut. We examined DC expression of β7, an integrin associated with mucosal homing of lymphocyte populations.
Methods: DC were identified by multi-colour flow cytometry as an HLA-DR+lineage- (CD3-, CD14-, CD16-, CD19-, CD34-, CD56-) population in peripheral blood and in mononuclear cells extracted from the lamina propria of the colon or small intestine. Co-expression of β7 with CD11c, CD1c and CLA was assessed.
Results: Gut DC from both the small and large intestine expressed β7 integrin. In blood, most DC expressed β7 but they were heterogeneous for the level of expression and for co-expression of the molecules associated with skin homing. Both myeloid and plasmacytoid DC were studied. All CD11c+ `myeloid' DC were β7int, with some also expressing skin homing molecules. CD11c- `plasmacytoid' DC, which are thought to migrate directly into lymphoid tissue, comprised two subpopulations, β7lo and β7hi. Neither of these populations expressed the skin homing markers CLA or CD1c.
Conclusions: It appears that DC with markers associated with homing to the gut mucosa can be identified …