Subpopulations of human dendritic cells display a distinct phenotype and bind differentially to proteins of the extracellular matrix.

CD1a(pos) dendritic cells (DCs) and Langerhans cells (LCs) are highly specialized antigen-presenting cells mainly localized in the skin. Various cells have been identified as precursors of cutaneous DCs, but the definitive precursor subpopulations remain to be defined and characterized in detail. In this study, DCs were generated in vitro from monocytes (monocyte-derived DCs, MoDCs) and from CD34(pos) stem cells (CD34(pos) cell-derived DCs, CD34DCs). By virtue of their CD14 and CD1a expression, four CD34DC subpopulations were characterized while MoDCs contain three different subpopulations. Of these, CD14-expressing cells are considered to be precursors of fully differentiated DCs, which themselves are CD14(neg)CD1a(pos). Both, MoDCs and CD34DCs expressed the alpha integrins LFA-1, Mac-1, CR4, VLA-4, VLA-5 and the beta2 integrin CD18. CD34DCs and MoDCs were negative for VLA-3, whereas MoDCs, but not CD34DCs expressed VLA-6. Phenotypic and functional characterization of the cells generated herein at earlier time points revealed that DCs at day 3 of culture may reflect the in vivo situation more closely than at day 7. Adhesion of DC precursors to endothelial cells and to components of the extracellular matrix is a prerequisite for their migration towards the epidermis. To this end, we investigated adhesion of CD34DCs and MoDCs to components of the cutaneous extracellular matrix. Distinct DC subsets showed a differential binding pattern to proteins of the extracellular matrix. MoDCs and CD34DCs bound preferentially to laminin 332 via CD49f and to fibronectin via CD49e, but only weakly to laminin 111 or to collagens. While CD14(pos) cells preferentially bound to laminin 332, CD1a(pos) cells adhered to fibronectin. In summary, subpopulations of CD34DCs and MoDCs are phenotypically related to each other, but not identical and display differential binding to components of the extracellular matrix.