MODULATION OF LANGERHANS CELL-FUNCTION BY EPIDERMAL NERVES

Many is not most epidermal Langerhans cells appeared to be closely ass ociated anatomically with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-conta ining nerves as determined by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Furt hermore, a small proportion of Langerhans cells had immunoreactive CGR P at or near their cell surfaces, suggesting that nerves are capable o f depositing CGRP at or near Langerhans cells. CGRP inhibited Langerha ns cell antigen-presenting capability for elicitation of delayed-type hypersensitivity in immunized mice to present alloantigens in the mixe d epidermal cell-lymphocyte reaction and to present a protein antigen to a responsive hybridoma. As a whole, these data suggest the possibil ity that products of nerves within the epidermis might serve to regula te Langerhans cell function. The apparent apposition of epidermal nerv es with Langerhans cells suggests a possible locus of interaction betw een the nervous system and the immune system within the skin.