Expression of I-region gene products on mouse tail epidermis cells

Antigen-presenting cells, including Langerhans cells, veiled cells and interdigitating cells

The accessory functions attributed to macrophages, such as antigen presentation, are probably carried out by specialized, marrow-derived cells which always have Ia antigen on their surfaces. These cells are not actively phagocytic, but are mainly engaged in engulfing large volumes on fluid. They are found in the epidermis as sessile cells, the Langerhans cells, but some re-enter the dermis and appear in afferent lymph as actively moving, veiled cells. Here they are joined by other veiled cells which have differentiated in the dermis: both populations then enter the draining lymph node. A similar process of differentiation probably occurs in other specialized tissues leading to the formation of cells that enter the afferent lymph and become veiled cells. In the lymph node, veiled cells localize in the paracortex or T-dependent area and later differentiate into another sessile cell type, the interdigitating cell. The life-style of this family of cells appears to be well-adapted for the transport of antigen into the paracortex, an area from which free antigen is largely excluded, and it seems likely that T-cell activation is triggered by the arrival of veiled cells bearing a new antigen on their surfaces.

Ultrastructural documentation of HLA-DR antigen reactivity in normal human acrosyringial epithelium

We have observed that monoclonal antibodies directed against human Ia-like antigens react with a subset of epidermal keratinocytes as well as Langerhans cells in normal human skin. Membrane reactivity for HLA-DR antigen in flattened ductal keratinocytes and in adjacent cuticular cells forming the acrosyringial lumen was observed using immunoelectron microscopy. It should be recognized that Ia-positive acrosyringial keratinocytes represent a potential source of contamination in methods designed to study and isolate Langerhans cells using antibodies directed against HLA-DR antigens. Teleologic considerations of HLA-DR antigen expression in the acrosyringium are discussed.

Use of the fluorescence-activated cell sorter to quantitate and enrich for subpopulations of human skin cells

A variety of immunologic staining techniques were compared in a quantitative study of antigen expression by human epidermal cells. Virtually all nucleated epidermal cells express beta 2-microglobulin, which is associated with HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens, whereas only about 4% expressed T6, an antigen expressed by Langerhans cells but not other cells in the skin. With the fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), epidermal cell suspensions were selectively enriched 10- to 15-fold for T6-positive Langerhans cells. An average of 6.5% of cells were specifically stained by anti-HLA-DR antibody. When dispersed cells stained with anti-DR plus peroxidase were examined with the technique of immunoelectron microscopy, only mononuclear leukocytes (probably Langerhans cells) were stained. After separating HLA-DR positive skin cells with the FACS, the DR-positive population but not the DR-negative population stimulated proliferation of allogeneic responder lymphocytes, indicating that sorted cells are metabolically active. We conclude that HLA-DR antigen is not expressed by keratinocytes in normal human skin cell suspensions and that the FACS can be used to selectively enrich or deplete skin cell suspensions of antigenically distinct subpopulations such as Langerhans cells.

Cultured human epidermal cells do not synthesize HLA-DR

All nucleated cells express HLA-A, B, and C antigens. However, only a few cells, including epidermal cells, demonstrate HLA-DR antigens which are potent transplantation immunogens in man. The current study was undertaken to determine if epidermal cell continue to synthesize and/or express HLA-DR antigens after prolonged in vitro culture. Epidermal cells cultured for 7 days or more no longer stimulated allogeneic lymphocytes in the epidermal cell-lymphocyte reaction. Indirect immunofluorescence light microscopy of cultured cells using mouse monoclonal antibody to HLA-DR antigen confirmed that these cells do not express HLA-DR antigens whereas they retain beta 2-microglobulin. Detergent extracts of 12-day cultured epidermal cells biosynthetically labeled with 35 S-methionine were immunoprecipitated with monoclonal anti-DR antibody and analyzed by the method of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No radiolabeled proteins were found on these gels in the regions where HLA-DR molecules are known to migrate. These data indicate that HLA-DR antigen is absent from cultured epidermal cells. Finally, we describe a technique for growing epidermal cells on a gelatin membrane which allows subsequent removal of intact cell monolayers from the culture dish. Such monolayers may be useful for purposes of transplantation.

Peptide map comparisons of epidermal and spleen H-2 molecules

Peptide map comparisons of molecules encoded in the mouse H-2 complex isolated from epidermal cell preparations have been carried out. We previously showed that the Ia molecules from both the I-A and I-E subregions are synthesized by nonlymphoid bone-marrow-derived cells, probably Langerhans cells. The K and D or transplantation molecules are synthesized by both "true" epidermal cells and nonlymphoid bone-marrow-derived cells. The tryptic maps generated by separating tryptic peptides by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of epidermal H-2 molecules are identical to their spleen-cell counterparts. The biological significance of this finding is discussed.

Bone marrow origin of Ia molecules purified from epidermal cells

Using radiation bone marrow chimeras, we have shown that Ia molecules purified from epidermal cell preparations of the mouse reflect the Ia phenotype of the bone marrow donor. This result strongly suggests that Ia molecules are synthesized by a bone-marrow-derived cell in the epidermis. Furthermore, results of peptide map analysis of immunoprecipitated biosynthetically labeled Ia suggest that the Ia molecules found in skin are identical to those found on B lymphocytes. These results support biochemical as well as serologic identity.