Accessory and stimulating properties of dendritic cells and macrophages isolated from various rat tissues

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Abstract
Single cell suspensions of rat lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues were fractionated on discontinuous gradients of bovine serum albumin into high density and low density subfractions. Accessory activity required for responses of periodate-treated T lymphocytes was recovered only in a low density population containing a small percent of the total fractionated cells from lymph nodes, spleen, liver, skin and peritoneal exudates. Further purification always led to an increase of both accessory activity and number of dendritic cells present in nonrosetting and nonadherent populations. After purification, a high recovery of the total accessory activity was found in fractions that contained a high percentage of dendritic cells resulting in a > 1000-fold enrichment in accessory activity/cell. No other fraction obtained during the purification contained significant accessory activity. In all cases, macrophage-enriched populations lacked accessory cell activity. With the exception of peritoneal exudate cell preparations, which contained an inhibitory cell, the level of accessory activity in a given population was always a function of the number of dendritic cells present. Dendritic cells from all sources were nonadherent, nonphagocytic, radio-resistant and nonspecific esterase negative. They expressed Ia antigens and lacked Fc receptors. Both epidermal and lymph node dendritic cells contained Birbeck granules, subcellular structures previously described only for Langerhans cells. Accessory activity required viable dendritic cells but was unaffected by 1000 rad of .gamma.-irradiation. UV irradiation abolished the activity of accessory cells. The cells that responded to periodate were IgG-negative T cells, while IgG-positive B cells were not stimulated under the same conditions. Only periodate-treated T cells and dendritic cells were needed for responses to occur; removal of virtually all macrophages from these purified preparations had no effect. Dendritic cells were required as stimulators in mixed leukocyte cultures, while macrophages, even though Ia positive, were inert.