The Lymphoid Past of Mouse Plasmacytoid Cells and Thymic Dendritic Cells

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) 2003-05, Vol.170 (10), p.4926-4932
• Main Authors: Corcoran, Lynn, Ferrero, Isabel, Vremec, David, Lucas, Karen, Waithman, Jason, O'Keeffe, Meredith, Wu, Li, Wilson, Anne, Shortman, Ken
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bone Marrow Cells - immunology; Bone Marrow Cells - metabolism; Bone Marrow Transplantation; CD3 Complex; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Cell Differentiation - immunology; Cell Lineage - genetics; Cell Lineage - immunology; Cells, Cultured; Complementarity Determining Regions - biosynthesis; Complementarity Determining Regions - genetics; Dendritic Cells - cytology; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Dendritic Cells - metabolism; Female; Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; Genes, T-Cell Receptor alpha; Lymphoid Tissue - cytology; Lymphoid Tissue - immunology; Lymphoid Tissue - metabolism; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins - biosynthesis; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Phagocytosis - genetics; Phagocytosis - immunology; Plasma Cells - cytology; Plasma Cells - immunology; Plasma Cells - metabolism; Radiation Chimera - immunology; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - biosynthesis; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - genetics; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - immunology; Stem Cells - metabolism; Thymus Gland - cytology; Thymus Gland - immunology; Thymus Gland - metabolism
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.170.10.4926

There has been controversy over the possible lymphoid origin of certain dendritic cell (DC) subtypes. To resolve this issue, DC and plasmacytoid pre-DC isolated from normal mouse tissues were analyzed for transient (mRNA) and permanent (DNA rearrangement) markers of early stages of lymphoid development. About 27% of the DNA of CD8(+) DC from thymus, and 22-35% of the DNA of plasmacytoid pre-DC from spleen and thymus, was found to contain IgH gene D-J rearrangements, compared with 40% for T cells. However, the DC DNA did not contain IgH gene V-D-J rearrangements nor T cell Ag receptor beta gene D-J rearrangements. The same DC lineage populations containing IgH D-J rearrangements expressed mRNA for CD3 chains, and for pre-T alpha. In contrast, little of the DNA of the conventional DC derived from spleen, lymph nodes, or skin, whether CD8(+) or CD8(-), contained IgH D-J rearrangements and splenic conventional DC expressed very little CD3 epsilon or pre-T alpha mRNA. Therefore, many plasmacytoid pre-DC and thymic CD8(+) DC have shared early steps of development with the lymphoid lineages, and differ in origin from conventional peripheral DC.