Different populations of CD11b+ dendritic cells drive Th2 responses in the small intestine and colon

Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for mounting allergic airway inflammation, but it is unclear which subset of DCs performs this task. By using CD64 and MAR-1 staining, we reliably separated CD11b(+) monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) from conventional DCs (cDCs) and studied antigen uptake, migration, and presentation assays of lung and lymph node (LN) DCs in response to inhaled house dust mite (HDM). Mainly CD11b(+) cDCs but not CD103(+) cDCs induced T helper 2 (Th2) cell immunity in HDM-specific T cells in vitro and asthma in vivo. Studies in Flt3l(-/-) mice, lacking all cDCs, revealed that moDCs were also sufficient to induce Th2 cell-mediated immunity but only when high-dose HDM was given. The main function of moDCs was the production of proinflammatory chemokines and allergen presentation in the lung during challenge. Thus, we have identified migratory CD11b(+) cDCs as the principal subset inducing Th2 cell-mediated immunity in the LN, whereas moDCs orchestrate allergic inflammation in the lung. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Signaling through Notch receptors and their transcriptional effector RBP-J is essential for lymphocyte development and function, whereas its role in other immune cell types is unclear. We tested the function of the canonical Notch–RBP-J pathway in dendritic cell (DC) development and maintenance in vivo. Genetic inactivation of RBP-J in the bone marrow did not preclude DC lineage commitment but caused the reduction of splenic DC fraction. The inactivation of RBP-J in DCs using a novel DC-specific deleter strain caused selective loss of the splenic CD8− DC subset and reduced the frequency of cytokine-secreting CD8− DCs after challenge with Toll-like receptor ligands. In contrast, other splenic DC subsets and DCs in the lymph nodes and tissues were unaffected. The RBP-J–deficient splenic CD8− DCs were depleted at the postprogenitor stage, exhibited increased apoptosis, and lost the expression of the Notch target gene Deltex1. In the spleen, CD8− DCs were found adjacent to cells expressing the Notch ligand Delta-like 1 in the marginal zone (MZ). Thus, canonical Notch–RBP-J signaling controls the maintenance of CD8− DCs in the splenic MZ, revealing an unexpected role of the Notch pathway in the innate immune system.

Chemokine receptor CX3CR1+ dendritic cells (DCs) have been suggested to sample intestinal antigens by extending transepithelial dendrites into the gut lumen. Other studies identified CD103+ DCs in the mucosa, which, through their ability to synthesize retinoic acid (RA), appear to be capable of generating typical signatures of intestinal adaptive immune responses. We report that CD103 and CX3CR1 phenotypically and functionally characterize distinct subsets of lamina propria cells. In contrast to CD103+ DC, CX3CR1+ cells represent a nonmigratory gut-resident population with slow turnover rates and poor responses to FLT-3L and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Direct visualization of cells in lymph vessels and flow cytometry of mouse intestinal lymph revealed that CD103+ DCs, but not CX3CR1-expressing cells, migrate into the gut draining mesenteric lymph nodes (LNs) under steady-state and inflammatory conditions. Moreover, CX3CR1+ cells displayed poor T cell stimulatory capacity in vitro and in vivo after direct injection of cells into intestinal lymphatics and appeared to be less efficient at generating RA compared with CD103+ DC. These findings indicate that selectively CD103+ DCs serve classical DC functions and initiate adaptive immune responses in local LNs, whereas CX3CR1+ populations might modulate immune responses directly in the mucosa and serve as first line barrier against invading enteropathogens.