| First Author | Kadow S | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 187 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 3104-10 |
| PubMed ID | 21844385 | Mgi Jnum | J:179245 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5301499 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.1100912 |
| Citation | Kadow S, et al. (2011) Aryl hydrocarbon receptor is critical for homeostasis of invariant gammadelta T cells in the murine epidermis. J Immunol 187(6):3104-10 |
| abstractText | An immunoregulatory role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been shown in conventional alphabeta and gammadelta T cells, but its function in skin gammadelta T cells (dendritic epidermal T cells [DETC]) is unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that DETC express AhR in wild-type mice, and are specifically absent in the epidermis of AhR-deficient mice (AhR-KO). We show that DETC precursors are generated in the thymus and home to the skin. Proliferation of DETC in the skin was impaired in AhR-KO mice, resulting in a >90% loss compared with wild type. Surprisingly, DETC were not replaced by alphabeta T cells or conventional gammadelta T cells, suggesting a limited time frame for seeding this niche. We found that DETC from AhR-KO mice failed to express the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit, a known growth factor for gammadelta T cells in the gut. Moreover, we found that c-kit is a direct target of AhR, and propose that AhR-dependent c-Kit expression is potentially involved in DETC homeostasis. DETC are a major source of GM-CSF in the skin. Recently, we had shown that impaired Langerhans cell maturation in AhR-KO is related to low GM-CSF levels. Our findings suggest that the DETCs are necessary for LC maturation, and provide insights into a novel role for AhR in the maintenance of skin-specific gammadelta T cells, and its consequences for the skin immune network. |
