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The Dendritic Cell-Specific CC-Chemokine DC-CK1 Is Expressed by Germinal Center Dendritic Cells and Attracts CD38-Negative Mantle Zone B Lymphocytes

2001; American Association of Immunologists; Volume: 166; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4049/jimmunol.166.5.3284

1550-6606

Ernst Lindhout, Joost L. M. Vissers, Franca C. Hartgers, Richard Huijbens, Nicole M. Scharenborg, Carl G. Figdor, Gosse J. Adema,

T-cell and B-cell Immunology

DC-CK1 (CCL18) is a dendritic cell (DC)-specific chemokine expressed in both T and B cell areas of secondary lymphoid organs that preferentially attracts CD45RA(+) T cells. In this study, we further explored the nature of DC-CK1 expressing cells in germinal centers (GCs) of secondary lymphoid organs using a newly developed anti-DC-CK1 mAb. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a remarkable difference in the number of DC-CK1 expressing cells in adjacent GCs within one tonsil, implicating that the expression of DC-CK1 in GCs depends on the activation and/or progression stage of the GC reaction. Using immunohistology and RNA analysis, we demonstrated that GCDC are the source of DC-CK1 production in the GCs. Considering the recently described function of GCDC in (naive) B cell proliferation, isotype switching and Ab production, we investigated the ability of DC-CK1 to attract B lymphocytes. Here we demonstrate that DC-CK1 is a pertussis toxin-dependent chemoattractant for B lymphocytes with a preference in attracting mantle zone (CD38(-)) B cells. The findings that GCDC produce DC-CK1 and attract mantle zone B cells support a key role for GCDC in the development of GCs and memory B cell formation.