DEC-205 as a marker of dendritic cells with regulatory effects on CD8 T cell responses

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Abstract
We have previously reported that a population of lymphoid-related CD8α+ DEC-205+ dendritic cells (DC) from mouse spleen have `regulatory' effects on the T cells they activate. CD8 T cells produce IL-2 and give a sustained proliferative response to allogeneic CD8α– DEC-205– splenic DC, but produce little IL-2 and give a limited response to allogeneic CD8+ DEC-205+ splenic DC. Although CD8α and DEC-205 correlate closely among splenic DC, lymph nodes (LN) include a large population of CD8αlow DEC-205high DC. By i.v. transfer of purified thymic early lymphoid precursors into irradiated recipient mice we now demonstrate that these CD8αlow but DEC-205high LN DC can be the progeny of a lymphoid precursor population, apparently corresponding to the CD8αhigh DEC-205high DC progeny of the same precursors in spleen and thymus. By culture of the separated, purified DC with allogeneic CD8 T cells we demonstrate that the CD8αlow DEC-205high DC of LN are also functionally equivalent to the CD8αhigh DEC-205high DC of spleen. Therefore, DEC-205 but not CD8α serves to segregate functionally distinct DC types in LN. However, DC isolated from the spleens of genetically manipulated DEC-205null mice and separated on the basis of CD8α expression have a similar capacity to stimulate CD8 T cells as their heterozygous littermate controls, with the CD8α+ but now DEC-205null DC still giving restricted responses. In conclusion, high expression of DEC-205 appears to be a good marker of the lymphoid-related regulatory type of DC, but DEC-205 itself is not responsible for transmitting negative signals to the T cells.

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