HUMAN DENDRITIC CELLS - MAJOR STIMULATORS OF THE AUTOLOGOUS AND ALLOGENEIC MIXED LEUKOCYTE REACTIONS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 49  (2) , 338-346
Abstract
Highly purified preparations of dendritic cells were obtained from human peripheral blood. Loosely adherent cells were selected subsequently depleted of phagocytic cells and Fc receptor positive cells to yield the dendritic cell fraction. These isolates contained > 90% Ia positive cells, with many of the cells showing the morphological characteristics of the murine dendritic cells. These preparations were compared to other mononuclear cell fractions as stimulating cells in autologous and allogeneic mixed leukocyte reactions. The dendritic cell preparations provided the most potent stimulus for autologous T cell proliferation, with 10 .times. more 3H-thymidine incorporated by T lymphocytes incubated with autologous dendritic cells than with any other non-T cell preparation. Dendritic cells were also the most stimulatory cell in the allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction, although the non-adherent subpopulation produced some stimulation of allogeneic T cells. In separate experiments, it was determined that B cells could be activated by pokeweed mitogen to vigorously stimulate autologous T cells. Visual observation of cluster formation in cultures containing dendritic cells and autologous T cells suggests that the capacity for intimate cell contact may be an important property of the dendritic cell in vivo.