Characterization of dendritic cells from human oral mucosa: a new Langerhans' cell type with high constitutive FcepsilonRI expression.

Background: The oral mucosa represents a unique immunologic unit with a high frequency of native allergen contact within the gastrointestinal tract in which immune tolerance is the natural outcome of allergen contact. Although Langerhans' cells (LC), known to play a crucial role in initiating allergen-dependent immune responses in the skin, have also been detected in the oral mucosa, little is known about their phenotype and exact physiologic role.

Objective: To elucidate whether LC from oral mucosa (oLC) differ from skin LC (sLC), these cells were subjected to detailed comparative analysis.