Expression of HLA class II molecules on human monocytes and dendritic cells

Abstract

When comparing DCs and Mo from the same donors, we observed the following: (1) the distribution of the HLA class II molecules that can serve as restriction elements in antigen presentation to T4 cells, DR, DQ, and DP is the same; and (2) the quantitative expression of these molecules on a per-cell basis is similar. These observations indicate that expression of these molecules is not sufficient for APC function, and that class II molecules must be present in the context of the DC membrane to function as restriction elements.