Intrasplenic steady-state dendritic cell precursors that are distinct from monocytes

Shalin H. Naik, Donald Metcalf, Annemarie van Nieuwenhuijze, Ian Wicks, Li Wu, Meredith O'Keeffe, Ken Shortman

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509 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Immediate precursors of the many subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs) remain obscure. Here we purified a splenic precursor population that produced all splenic CD8+ and CD8- conventional DCs (cDCs) but not plasmacytoid DCs or other lineages. This 'pre-cDC' population included cells 'precommitted' to form either CD8+ or CD8- cDCs. The pre-cDCs, which comprised 0.05% of splenocytes, expressed a CD11cintCD45RAlo CD43intSIRP-αintCD4- CD8- major histocompatibility complex class II-negative surface phenotype. The pre-cDCs were not monocytes. Monocytes generated few cDCs in steady-state recipient mice. However, when transferred into mice with an inflammatory milieu dependent on granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, monocytes produced a distinct type of splenic DC. Thus, the inflammatory status of the host influences the developmental origin and type of DC present in lymphoid tissues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)663-671
Number of pages9
JournalNature Immunology
Volume7
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2006
Externally publishedYes

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