Langerin+CD8α+ Dendritic Cells Are Critical for Cross-Priming and IL-12 Production in Response to Systemic Antigens

Abstract

Distinct dendritic cell (DC) subsets differ with respect to pathways of Ag uptake and intracellular routing to MHC class I or MHC class II molecules. Murine studies suggest a specialized role for CD8α+ DC in cross-presentation, where exogenous Ags are presented on MHC class I molecules to CD8+ T cells, while CD8α− DC are more likely to present extracellular Ags on MHC class II molecules to CD4+ T cells. As a proportion of CD8α+ DC have been shown to express langerin (CD207), we investigated the role of langerin+CD8α+ DC in presenting Ag and priming T cell responses to soluble Ags. When splenic DC populations were sorted from animals administered protein i.v., the ability to cross-present Ag was restricted to the langerin+ compartment of the CD8α+ DC population. The langerin+CD8α+ DC population was also susceptible to depletion following administration of cytochrome c, which is known to trigger apoptosis if diverted to the cytosol. Cross-priming of CTL in the presence of the adjuvant activity of the TLR2 ligand N-palmitoyl-S-[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2RS)-propyl]-[R]-Cys-[S]-Serl-[S]-Lys4-trihydrochloride or the invariant NKT cell ligand α-galactosylceramide was severely impaired in animals selectively depleted of langerin+ cells in vivo. The production of IL-12p40 in response to these systemic activation stimuli was restricted to langerin+CD8α+ DC, and the release of IL-12p70 into the serum following invariant NKT cell activation was ablated in the absence of langerin+ cells. These data suggest a critical role for the langerin+ compartment of the CD8α+ DC population in cross-priming and IL-12 production.