Immunity
Volume 38, Issue 2, 21 February 2013, Pages 336-348
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Article
Human Inflammatory Dendritic Cells Induce Th17 Cell Differentiation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2012.10.018Get rights and content
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Summary

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical regulators of immune responses. Under noninflammatory conditions, several human DC subsets have been identified. Little is known, however, about the human DC compartment under inflammatory conditions. Here, we characterize a DC population found in human inflammatory fluids that displayed a phenotype distinct from macrophages from the same fluids and from steady-state lymphoid organ and blood DCs. Transcriptome analysis showed that they correspond to a distinct DC subset and share gene signatures with in vitro monocyte-derived DCs. Moreover, human inflammatory DCs, but not inflammatory macrophages, stimulated autologous memory CD4+ T cells to produce interleukin-17 and induce T helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation from naive CD4+ T cells through the selective secretion of Th17 cell-polarizing cytokines. We conclude that inflammatory DCs represent a distinct human DC subset and propose that they are derived from monocytes and are involved in the induction and maintenance of Th17 cell responses.

Highlights

▸ A distinct subset of dendritic cells is present in human inflammatory environments ▸ Human inflammatory DCs display conserved gene signatures with monocyte-derived DCs ▸ Human inflammatory DCs induce Th17 cells ▸ Human inflammatory DCs selectively secrete Th17-polarizing cytokines

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