| First Author | Hattori T | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci | Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 4598-604 |
| PubMed ID | 21482644 | Mgi Jnum | J:181422 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5311295 | Doi | 10.1167/iovs.10-6741 |
| Citation | Hattori T, et al. (2011) Characterization of Langerin-expressing dendritic cell subsets in the normal cornea. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 52(7):4598-604 |
| abstractText | PURPOSE: In addition to Langerhans cells (LCs), other dendritic cells (CD11c(+)) have recently been shown to express Langerin (c-type lectin). In skin, (non-LC) Langerin+ dendritic cells initiate adaptive immunity. However, whether such dendritic cells (DC) reside in the cornea, an immune-privileged tissue, is unknown. METHODS: Normal C57BL/6 corneas were harvested for qRT-PCR analyses of Langerin expression in the epithelium versus stroma. Immunohistochemistry for Langerin was also performed. Single-cell preparations of epithelium versus stroma were FACS analyzed for CD11c, CD11b, and CD103 expression. Fluorescence microscopy of corneas from muLangerin-eGFP mice (in which all CD11c(+) Langerin+ cells express eGFP), huLangerin-DTA mice (only LCs are constitutively deleted), and huLangerin-Cre eYFP-flox (only LCs express eYFP) was performed. RESULTS: qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and FACS analysis identified CD11c(+) Langerin+ cells in the epithelium and stroma. Similarly, corneas of muLangerin-eGFP mice contained eGFP+ cells in the epithelium and stroma. However, FACS analysis indicated phenotypically differing CD11c(+) Langerin+ populations in the epithelium (CD11b(low)CD103(low)) versus stroma (CD11b(+)CD103(low)). Additionally, corneas from huLangerin-DTA mice were devoid of Langerin+ cells in the epithelium but were detectable in the stroma. In corneas from huLangerin-Cre eYFP-flox, eYFP+ cells were detectable in the epithelium but not in the stroma. CONCLUSIONS: The normal corneal epithelium is endowed with CD11c(+) Langerin+ cells that are LCs, whereas the stroma is endowed with a separate population of (non-LC) Langerin+ DCs. These findings should henceforth facilitate the examination of Langerin-expressing DC subsets in the immunopathogeneses of conditions such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, allergic keratoconjunctivitis, and corneal allograft rejection. |
