CD‐1 (T6), HLA‐DR‐expressing cells, presumably Langerhans cells, in nasal mucosa

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Abstract
In the skin, epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) constitute a major population of antigen‐presenting cells. These cells are characterized by the expression of both CD‐1 (T6) and HLA‐DR on the cell membrane. We wanted to know whether similar CD‐1/HLA‐DR‐positive cells occur in the nasal mucosa of patients with an isolated grass pollen allergy and in non‐allergic controls. CD‐1/HLA‐DR‐positive dendritic cells were found in columnar and cuboidal epithelium and the lamina propria of the nasal mucosa. These CD‐1/HLA‐DR‐positive cells presumably correspond with LC in the skin. We also found significantly more CD‐1‐positive cells in nasal biopsy samples of allergic than in those of the non‐allergic controls. In the allergic patients some of the CD‐1‐positive cells were found to be surface IgE‐positive, possibly due to passive adherence of IgE to Fc receptors.