Zh. Shen et al., CLONED DENDRITIC CELLS CAN PRESENT EXOGENOUS ANTIGENS ON BOTH MHC CLASS-I AND CLASS-II MOLECULES, The Journal of immunology, 158(6), 1997, pp. 2723-2730
Pathways for presenting proteins from the extracellular fluids on MHC
class I molecules have been described in macrophages. However, it is u
ncertain whether similar mechanisms exist in dendritic cells, because
conventional preparations of these cells can be contaminated with macr
ophages. We addressed this issue by transducing granulocyte-macrophage
CSF into bone marrow cultures followed by supertransfection with myc
and raf oncogenes. These immortalized clones displayed dendritic morph
ology, and many expressed the dendritic cell-specific markers DEC-205
and 33D1 as well as high levels of MHC molecules and costimulatory mol
ecules. Using these cloned dendritic cells, we found that exogenous OV
A could be presented on both their MHC class I and class II molecules.
This presentation was markedly enhanced when the Ag was particulate a
nd internalized by phagocytosis. Presentation of particulate OVA on MH
C class I molecules was insensitive to the weak base chloroquine, but
was blocked by peptide aldehyde inhibitors of the proteasome, indicati
ng that the class I-presented peptides were generated in the cytosol.
Brefeldin A, which inhibits the exocytosis of newly synthesized protei
ns from the endoplasmic reticulum, also inhibited Ag presentation. The
se results establish that dendritic cells can present exogenous Ags on
MHC class I molecules and appear to use a similar phagosome to cytoso
l pathway as macrophages. Therefore, dendritic cells are likely to pla
y an important role in generating immune responses to tissue transplan
ts and tumors in vivo. Furthermore, these findings provide an approach
for targeting vaccine Ags into these cells to prime immune responses
in vivo.