Low levels of interferon-alpha induce CD86 (B7.2) expression and accelerates dendritic cell maturation from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) (IFN-alpha2b) is an immunoregulatory cytokine that is presently used in a recombinant form for the treatment of tumours and chronic viral infection. However, its mechanism of action remains largely undefined. In this paper, we studied the effects of low doses of IFN-alpha (0-100 U/ml) on the generation of dendritic cells with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). An addition of IFN-alpha to the PBMC cultures greatly increased the HLA class II and the CD86 expression on developing dendritic cells (DCs) during a 7-day culture period. When added at the initiation of the PBMC culture, as little as 10 U/ml dramatically increased the HLA class II and CD86 expression, with maximal effects observed between 50 and 100 U/ml in all PBMC preparations tested. Almost all of the nonadherent cells induced with added IFN-alpha possessed a phenotype of mature DCs, being CD1a(low), CD83+, HLA class IIhigh, CD86high, CD40high, and CD80low, while being negative for the monocyte/macrophage and lymphocyte markers. In contrast, the floating cells isolated from cultures grown without IFN-alpha were mostly immature DCs with a CD1a(high), CD83-, HLA class IIint/high, CD86low/int, CD80low phenotype. An addition of 50 U/ml IFN-alpha at the time of the culture initiation greatly increased both the number of mature DCs generated and their rate of appearance; by 3 days of culture, many large floating aggregates were present containing mature CD83+, CD1a(low) DCs, while much fewer aggregates of mature DCs were found without added IFN-alpha. Histochemical staining confirmed that the floating cells induced with IFN-alpha had typical DC features, including irregularly shaped nuclei, few cytoplasmic granules, and absent or diffuse perinuclear staining for esterase. Our results suggest that IFN-alpha is a potent accelerator of DC maturation in vitro. These effects on DC maturation may explain its clinical success in the treatment of cancer and viral infection as well as its ability to promote autoimmunity.     

Cord blood CD34+ cells cultured with FLT3L, stem cell factor, interleukin-6, and IL-3 produce CD11c+CD1a-/c- myeloid dendritic cells

Methods that allow expansion of myeloid dendritic cells (MDCs) from CD34(+) cells are potentially important for boosting anti-leukemic responses after cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We showed that the combination of early-acting cytokines FLT3-ligand (FL), stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin (IL)-3, and IL-6 supported the generation of CD11c(+)CD16() CD1a()/c() MDCs from CB CD34(+) cells or CB myeloid precursors. Early-acting cytokine-derived MDCs were maintained within the myeloid CD33(+)CD14()CD15() precursors with a mean of 4 x 10(6) cells generated from 1-4 x 10(4) CB CD34(+) cells or myeloid precursors after 2 weeks. After 8-12 days of culture the MDCs expressed higher levels of HLA-DR antigen but lower levels of CD40 and CD86 antigen, compared to adult blood MDCs. At this stage of differentiation, the early-acting cytokine-derived MDCs had acquired the ability to induce greater allogeneic T cell proliferation than monocytes or granulocytes derived from same culture. Early-acting cytokine-derived MDCs exposed to the cytokine cocktail (CC) comprising IL-1beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and prostaglandin E (PGE)-2, upregulated the surface co-stimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86 and enhanced allogeneic T cell proliferation, as is characteristic of MDCs maturation. The reliable production of MDCs from CB CD34(+) cells provides a novel way to study their lineage commitment pathway(s) and also a potential means of enriching CB with MDCs to improve prospects for DC immunotherapy following CB HSCT.     

Generation of dendritic cells from bone marrow progenitors using GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, and additional cytokines: antagonistic effects of IL-4 and IFN-gamma and selective involvement of TNF-alpha receptor-1.

We report the generation of dendritic cells (DC) starting from CD34+ bone marrow (BM) progenitor cells, using a two-stage culture system in which, besides granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), stem-cell factor (SCF) was added during the first 5 days, while interleukin-4 (IL-4) and/or interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were added during the secondary culture period of 9 days. Addition of IL-4 favoured the outgrowth of CD1a+, HLA-DR+, CD4+, CD40+, CD80+ but CD14- cells with dendritic morphology and strong antigen-presenting capacity. Addition of IFN-gamma selectively induced HLA-DR and CD86 but did not up-regulate CD1a expression or antigen-presenting capacity of the differentiated cells. An antagonism between IL-4 and IFN-gamma could further be confirmed in that, as compared with IL-4 alone, the simultaneous addition of IL-4 and IFN-gamma to GM-CSF plus TNF-alpha during maturation reduced both the phenotypical (CD1a, CD4, CD40) and functional characteristics of DC. Using receptor-specific TNF-alpha mutants, we investigated the relative involvement of TNF-alpha receptors R1 and R2 in the generation of DC. The induction of CD1a and HLA-DR, as well as the increase in allostimulatory capacity were dependent on TNF-R1 triggering, whereas triggering through TNF-R2 had no measurable effect. We conclude first, that the expansion of DC from BM progenitors could most effectively be enhanced in a two-stage culture assay using SCF, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha and IL-4; second, that the effect of TNF-alpha in DC generation involves signalling via the TNF-R1 receptor; and third, that IFN-gamma counteracts some of the effects of IL-4 in DC generation.     

单元型相同骨髓移植后患者单核细胞来源的DC表面分子的检测

对单元型相同骨髓移植患者造血重建后的外周血单个核细胞加GM-CSF、IL-4进行DC诱导,7d后加入TNF-α于培养DC中,继续诱导3d。测定DC的表型、混合淋巴细胞反应对T细胞增殖能力的测定,并与健康志愿者外周血来源的DC进行比较。探讨单元型相同造血干细胞移植后患者单个核细胞来源的DC的生物学特性。结果显示,单元型相同造血干细胞移植患者外周血单个核细胞和正常人外周血单个核细胞来源的DC均高表达CD1α、CD83、CD80、CD86和HLA-DR等DC的相关抗原和共刺激分子,患者的未成熟DC经TNF-α诱导后,成为成熟和有功能的DC,单元型相同造血干细胞移植患者单个核细胞来源的DC在体外具有激发同种异体外周血T细胞增殖的能力,与健康人外周血来源DC组相比均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。     

Generation of functional and mature dendritic cells from cord blood and bone marrow CD34+ cells by two-step culture combined with calcium ionophore treatment

The object of this study is to explore a culture method to generate a large number of functional and mature dendritic cells (DC) from human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. In the present study, we used a two-step method combined with calcium ionophore to induce DC from cord blood (CB) or normal human bone marrow (BM) CD34+ progenitor cells. The two-step method consists of 10 days of first step culture for the expansion and proliferation of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in the presence of SCF, IL-3, IL-6, G-CSF, and 7--11 days of second step culture for the induction of DC in the presence of GM-CSF, IL-4 and TNF-alpha. By the two-step culture, total nucleated cells were increased 208+/-66 (+/-SD, n=13), or 94+/-29 (n=5)-fold in the culture of CB or BM cells, respectively, compared with the number of CD34+ cells at the time of starting culture. Out of the total nucleated cells, 23 +/-10.4% of cells in CB cell culture and 25 +/-5% of cells in the BM cell culture acquired DC characteristic phenotypes, which were marked expressions of CD1a, HLA-DR, co-stimulatory molecules such as CD80, CD40, and adhesion molecule such as CD58. In allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR), two-step cultured cells showed potent allo-stimulatory capacity. With this two-step culture, the absolute number of CD1a+ cells that co-expressed HLA-DR, CD80, CD40 and CD58 was enhanced approximately 3 times in CB cell culture and 1.9 times in BM cell culture, compared with the commonly used one-step culture method for the generation of DC from CD34+ cells using SCF, GM-CSF and TNF-alpha. However, on these DC generated in the two-step culture, the expressions of co-stimulatory molecule CD86 and mature DC marker CD83 were not sufficient. By the treatment of two-step cultured cells with calcium ionophore agent (A23187), the expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as CD86 and CD80 (especially CD86) was up-regulated. Besides, the expression of mature DC marker CD83 was remarkably induced by treatment with A23187 for a short duration (24 h). Consistent with the up-regulation of surface molecules CD86, CD80 and CD83, the two-step cultured cells treated with A23187 also showed a stronger allo-stimulatory capacity compared with the cells without A23187 treatment. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the two-step culture method effectively improved the yield of CD1a+ DC generated from CD34+ cells, and the phenotypes and functions of these CD1a+ DC could be enhanced efficiently by treatment with a calcium ionophore agent.     

Activation of natural interferon-alpha producing cells by apoptotic U937 cells combined with lupus IgG and its regulation by cytokines

We recently demonstrated that IgG from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in combination with U937 cells made apoptotic by UV-irradiation, can induce interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In the present study we show by flow cytometry that the actual IFN-alpha producing cells (IPC) among PBMC had the same phenotype (HLA-DR+, CD4+, CD11b-, CD11c-, CD14-, CD19-, CD32-, CD36+, CD40+, CD45RA+, CD68+, CD83+, CD86-, IL-3R+ and IL-10R-) and low frequency (approximately 2/10(4)PBMC) as the IPC activated by Herpes simplex virus type I. Consequently, these cells correspond to the natural IPC, also described as type 2 precursor dendritic cells. We also demonstrated that cytokines of possible importance in the pathogenesis in SLE had effects on the IFN-alpha production. Specifically, the IFN-alpha production was strongly increased by the type I IFNs, IFN-alpha and -beta, but markedly inhibited by IL-10 and also to some extent by TFN-alpha. In contrast, the cytokines IFN-gamma, IL-6, TGF-beta and GM-CSF had no clear effects. No production of IL-10 was detected in PBMC stimulated by apoptotic U937 cells and SLE IgG. These results may explain the cause of the ongoing IFN-alpha production in SLE patients and its relation to the autoimmune process.     

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor promotes the generation of regulatory DC through induction of IL-10 and IFN-alpha

We have recently demonstrated that G-CSF promotes the generation of human T regulatory (T(REG)) type 1 cells. In this study, we investigated whether the immunomodulatory effects of G-CSF might be mediated by DC. CD14(+) monocytes were cultured with serum collected after clinical administration of G-CSF (post-G), which contained high amounts of IL-10 and IFN-alpha. Similar to incompletely matured DC, monocytes nurtured with post-G serum acquired a DC-like morphology, expressed high levels of costimulatory molecules and HLA-DR, and exhibited diminished IL-12p70 release and poor allostimulatory capacity. Importantly, post-G DC-like cells were insensitive to maturation stimuli. As shown by neutralization studies, IFN-alpha and, even more pronounced, IL-10 contained in post-G serum inhibited IL-12p70 release by post-G DC-like cells. Furthermore, phenotypic and functional features of post-G DC-like cells were replicated by culturing post-G monocytes with exogenous IL-10 and IFN-alpha. Post-G DC-like cells promoted Ag-specific hyporesponsiveness in naive allogeneic CD4(+) T cells and orchestrated a T(REG) response that was dependent on secreted TGF-beta 1 and IL-10. Finally, neutralization of IL-10 and IFN-alpha contained in post-G serum translated into abrogation of the regulatory features of post-G DC-like cells. This novel mechanism of immune regulation effected by G-CSF might be therapeutically exploited for tolerance induction in autoimmune disorders.     

Efficient generation of CD34+ progenitor-derived dendritic cells from G-CSF-mobilized peripheral mononuclear cells does not require hematopoietic stem cell enrichment

As a result of their potent antigen-presentation function, dendritic cells (DC) are important tools for cell therapy programs. In vitro-generated DC from enriched CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC; enriched CD34 DC) have already proven their efficiency in Phase I/II clinical trials. Here, we investigated whether enrichment of CD34+ HSC before the onset of culture was absolutely required for their differentiation into DC. With this aim, we developed a new two-step culture method. PBMC harvested from G-CSF-mobilized, healthy patients were expanded for 7 days during the first step, with early acting cytokines, such as stem cell factor, fetal liver tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt-3L), and thrombopoietin. During the second step, expanded cells were then induced to differentiate into mature DC in the presence of GM-CSF, Flt-3L, and TNF-alpha for 8 days, followed by LPS exposure for 2 additional days. Our results showed that the rate of CD34+/CD38+/lineageneg cells increased 19.5+/-10-fold (mean+/-sd) during the first step, and the expression of CD14, CD1a, CD86, CD80, and CD83 molecules was up-regulated markedly following the second step. When compared with DC generated from enriched CD34+ cells, which were expanded for 7 days before differentiation, DC derived from nonenriched peripheral blood stem cells showed a similar phenotye but higher yields of production. Accordingly, the allogeneic stimulatory capacity of the two-step-cultured DC was as at least as efficient as that of enriched CD34 DC. In conclusion, we report herein a new two-step culture method that leads to high yields of mature DC without any need of CD34+ HSC enrichment.     

Generation of CD4 and CD8 T Lymphocyte Responses by Dendritic Cells Armed with PSA/Anti-PSA (Antigen/Antibody) Complexes

Dendritic cells (DC) acquire antigens through a number of cell surface structures including receptors for the Fc portion of immunoglobulins and mannose. Little is known about the effects of antigen uptake via these receptors on antigen processing and presentation. We compared the capacity of DC to generate CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses after exposure to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) alone, PSA targeted to the mannose receptor (mannosylated PSA (PSA-m)), or PSA targeted to Fc receptors by combining PSA with an anti-PSA antibody (AR47.47). Autologous CD3(+) T cells were added to monocyte-derived immature DC that had been cultured with GM-CSF/IL-4 for 4 days, exposed to antigen, and matured with CD40L or TNFalpha/IFN-alpha. After several rounds of stimulation, T cell responses were assessed by intracellular IFN-gamma production using flow cytometry. Both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses were observed after stimulation with DC exposed to the PSA/anti-PSA complexes, whereas CD4(+) predominated over CD8(+) T cell responses after stimulation with PSA-armed DC or PSA-m. These CD8(+) T cells responded when rechallenged with DC pulsed with HLA allele-restricted PSA peptides. These results indicate that PSA and PSA-m are processed primarily through pathways that favor HLA Class II presentation, while the PSA/anti-PSA immune complexes are processed through both Class I and Class II pathways in monocyte-derived DC. These findings have potential applications in designing more effective cancer vaccines for prostate cancer.     

Enhanced T-cell activation and T-cell-dependent IL-2 production by CD83+, CD25high, CD43high human monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Although standardized protocols are widely used for the generation of monocyte-derived immunostimulatory dendritic cells (DC(ims)), the inducibility of Th1 cells by DC(ims) may considerably differ. As a measure for the quality of DC(ims) generated from an individual donor at a certain time point, CD83 is used in combination with HLA-DR and CD86 to assess DC maturation. When phenotypically analyzing DC(ims), we identified a subpopulation ( approximately 60%) of CD83+, CD86+, and HLA-DR+ DC(ims) that co-expressed CD25. DC within a given DC(ims) preparation identified by lower expression of CD83 and by selective expression of CD14, however, did not co-express CD25. In order to establish CD25 as an additional maturation marker of DC(ims), we studied the DC phenotype of these cells as well as the DC-dependent T-cell proliferation and T-cell cytokine production profile after co-incubation with sorted CD25(high) and CD25(low) subpopulations of CD83+, HLA-DR+, CD86+ DC(ims). CD25(high) DC(ims) showed significant up-regulation of the DC activation molecule CD43 and induced increased levels of IL-2 secretion in allogeneic T-cells (170.7+/-86.7pg/mL) as compared to T-cells coincubated with CD25(low) DC(ims) (86.6+/-37.6pg/mL) [p=0.0224]. This was reflected by a significantly lower T-cell stimulatory capacity of CD25(low) DC(ims) (84.0% of CD25(high) DC(ims), 1:10 ratio; p=0.014) whereas the T-cell stimulatory capacity of CD25(low) DC(ims) was much higher when compared to IL-10 induced regulatory DC (55.3% of CD25(high) DC(ims); 1:10 ratio). With regard to cancer vaccination protocols, we propose to use CD25 and CD43 as additional markers for DC quality control, assessment of maturational status, and positive selection.     

IL-34 对类风湿关节炎髓系树突状细胞表型的影响

目的:探讨IL-34 对类风湿关节炎(RA)患者单核细胞向髓系树突状细胞(DC)分化的诱导作用,及其在分化过程中对细胞表型的影响。方法:采集RA 患者外周血,Ficoll 密度梯度离心法获得PBMC,培养4 h 后将贴壁细胞分别用GM-CSF+IL-4、IL-4、IL-4+IL-34 刺激3 d,流式细胞术检测CD83、CD86 和CD14 的表达水平;再将GM-CSF+IL-4 刺激3 d 后的细胞加入TNF-α和(或)IL-34 培养4 d,流式细胞术检测CD83、CD86 和(或)CD14 的表达水平。结果:(1)IL-34+IL-4 诱导后CD83、CD86 表达水平较IL鄄4 单独作用明显上调(P<0.01),CD14 表达无差异(P>0.05);IL-34+IL-4 诱导CD86、CD14 表达水平较GM-CSF+IL-4 刺激组下降(P<0.05),CD83 表达无差异(P>0.05)(2)GM-CSF+IL-4+IL-34 诱导CD83、CD86 表达水平较GM-CSF+IL-4+TNF-α组低(P<0.05),但与GM-CSF+IL-4 刺激组对比CD83、CD86 表达水平差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。(3)GM-CSF+IL-4+TNF-α+IL-34 诱导DC CD83 表达水平较GM-CSF+IL-4+TNF-α刺激组低(P<0.05),但两组CD86、CD14 表达差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:IL-34 在不成熟DC 诱导过程中发挥一定作用,效应略弱于GM-CSF;IL-34 对成熟DC诱导作用不显著,但参与了不成熟DC 的维持。     

Paradoxical effects of interleukin-10 on the maturation of murine myeloid dendritic cells

The immunoregulatory cytokine, interleukin-10 (IL-10), has been shown to inhibit the maturation of human myeloid dendritic cells (DC). In the present study, we demonstrate that IL-10 has paradoxical effects on the maturation of murine myeloid bone marrow-derived DC. On the one hand, IL-10 inhibits the maturation of murine myeloid DC. The addition of IL-10 to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-supported murine BM-derived DC cultures reduced the frequency of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIbright cells. These IL-10-pretreated DC have a reduced capacity to stimulate T cells in an allogeneic mixed leucocyte reaction. On the other hand, however, and in contrast to the effects of IL-10 on human DC, we found that the addition of IL-10 from the initiation of the culture onwards induced an up-regulation of the expression of the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86 on murine myeloid DC, as compared to DC generated with GM-CSF only. Moreover, a subpopulation of IL-10-pretreated MHC class IIdim DC lacked the capacity to take up dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), a feature of DC maturation. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the generation of murine myeloid DC in the presence of IL-10 results in a population of incompletely matured MHC class IIdim CD80+ CD86+ DC. These DC lack T-cell stimulatory capacity, suggesting a role for IL-10 in conferring tolerogenic properties on murine myeloid DC.     

IFN-γ促进人单核细胞向不典型成熟DC分化

目的: 研究IFN-γ对人单核细胞表型及分化的影响.方法: 采用免疫磁珠法从健康志愿者外周血单个核细胞(PBMCs)中特异性分选单核细胞, 以细胞因子IFN-γ、 TNF-α、 IFN-α刺激单核细胞后, 观察单核细胞生长特性, 并以流式细胞术检测单核细胞表面CD1a、 CD14、 CD80、 CD83、 CD86、 HLA-DR等分子表达.结果: 细胞因子IFN-γ、 TNF-α、 IFN-α对单核细胞形态、生长及表型转化有不同影响.IFN-γ促进单核细胞黏附聚集形成"细胞小岛结构", 刺激单核细胞形态向梭形及多角形转化; IFN-γ上调单核细胞表达CD80、 CD83、 CD86及HLA-DR分子, 同时下调CD14分子表达.结论: IFN-γ促进单核细胞向不典型的成熟DC方向分化.     

PGE_2促进人脐血CD34~+造血祖细胞向淋巴样树突状细胞分化

为了探讨前列腺素E2(protaglandin E2,PGE2)对人外周血CD14+单核细胞和脐血CD34+造血祖细胞(hematopoieticprogenitor cells,HPC)体外诱导pDC分化的影响。分别采用IL-4+GM-CSF+TNF-α和SCF+Flt-3L+GM-CSF+TNF-α诱导人外周血CD14+单核细胞和CD34+HPC向pDC分化,采用流式细胞仪分析细胞表型,并观察PGE2加入培养体系后对pDC分化的影响。结果:以CD34+HPC为来源,比CD14+单核细胞能诱导出更多数量且具有功能的pDC。培养体系中加入PGE2显著增强了CD34+HPC向pDC的分化,而对CD14+单核细胞的分化却无明显促进作用。PGE2可有效促进脐血CD34+HPC在多种细胞因子的作用下向pDC的成熟分化。     

慢性乙肝患者树突状细胞对Th1/Th2分化的影响

探讨慢性乙肝患者树突状细胞(dendritic cells,DC)对CD4+Th细胞亚群分化的影响。分离慢性乙肝患者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC),以rhIL-4(50 ng/ml)、rhGM-CSF(10 ng/ml)和rhTNF-α(100 u/ml)诱导培养DC。以流式细胞仪检测DC表面CD1a、CD83、CD80、CD86、HLA-DR分子表达情况。MTT法检测DC刺激同种异体淋巴细胞增殖能力。免疫磁珠分离外周血CD4+T细胞亚群,PMA+Ionomycin刺激后胞内荧光染色,流式细胞仪检测辅助性T细胞(helper T cell,Th)内特征性细胞因子IFN-γ/IL-4以判断Th1/Th2分化。ELISA法检测DC或Th细胞培养上清中IL-6、IL-12、IFN-γ和IL-4的含量。结果:慢性乙肝患者的DC表达CD1a、CD83、CD80、CD86、HLA-DR分子水平明显低于正常人(P<0.01);培养至第7天,慢性乙肝患者DC分泌的IL-12水平低于正常人(P<0.01),而分泌的IL-6水平增高(P<0.05)。与正常人相比,慢性乙肝患者外周血中Th1细胞占CD4+T细胞的百分比较低(P<0.01),其Th细胞培养上清中IFN-γ的量也较低(P<0.01)。患者DC与同种异体的健康人Th细胞共培养,刺激Th1型细胞因子IFN-γ产生的能力低于正常人(P<0.01)。慢性乙肝患者体内DC功能的异常可能导致了外周血Th1细胞分化不足。     

Expression of adhesion molecules on CD34(+) cells in peripheral blood of non-hodgkin's lymphoma patients mobilized with different growth factors

Adhesion molecules on CD34(+) cells were implicated in the process of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization and homing. We studied the mobilization of CD34(+)Thy1(+) cells, CD34(+) very late-acting antigen (VLA)4(+) cells, and CD34(+)L-selectin(+) cells in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients mobilized with cyclophosphamide plus G-CSF, GM-CSF, or GM-CSF followed by G-CSF. The mean percentage of CD34(+) cells in the bone marrow (BM) expressing Thy1 was 23.6% +/- 11% and 17.8% +/- 8% in the PB before mobilization, and was markedly decreased to 4.5% +/- 3.3% in the apheresis collections. Similarly, the mean percentage of CD34(+) cells expressing L-selectin was 35.8% +/- 4.3% in the BM, 21.6% +/- 4.1% in the PB before mobilization and was markedly decreased to 9.1% +/- 2.5% in the apheresis collections. Patients in the three arms of the study had a similar pattern of CD34(+)Thy1(+) and CD34(+)L-selectin(+) cell mobilization. Also, a similar pattern of coexpression of CD34(+)Thy1(+) and CD34(+)L-selectin(+) cells was observed when the patients were regrouped as "good mobilizers" (> or =2 x 10(6) CD34(+)CD45(dim) cells/kg, in four collections) and "poor mobilizers" (<0.4 x 10(6) CD34(+)CD45(dim) cells/kg, in two collections). The mean percentage of CD34(+) cells expressing VLA-4 in the BM and PB was relatively high (73.4% +/- 12% and 65.4% +/- 6.6%, respectively) and dropped considerably in the PBSC collections to 43.5% +/- 7.1% with a similar pattern observed for patients in arms A, B, and C. However, when the patients were regrouped as "good mobilizers" and "poor mobilizers," a higher percentage of CD34(+) cells expressing VLA-4 was observed in the PBSC of the pooled "good mobilizers" (50.5% +/- 9% versus 36.3% +/- 6.4%; p = 0.01). We conclude that release of CD34(+) cells to the PB involves a general downregulation of Thy1, L-selectin and VLA-4 on CD34(+) cells, irrespective of the growth factor used for mobilization. However, good mobilizers had a relatively higher percentage of CD34(+) cells expressing the VLA-4 antigen.     

Characterization of monocyte-derived dendritic cells maturated with IFN-alpha

Dendritic cells (DC) are promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy. These cells can be generated from peripheral blood monocytes cultured with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). In order to obtain full functional capacity, maturation is required, but the most potent reagents such as LPS or polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (Poly I:C) are not approved for clinical use. We tested the ability of type I interferon (IFN) to induce such maturation. We found that 24-h IFN-alpha co-culture of day 7 monocyte-derived DC generated with GM-CSF and IL-4 induces increased numbers of DC positive for CD54 and CD40 together with the co-stimulatory molecule CD80 but not the activation marker CD83. Also, IFN-alpha maturation leads to an increase in IP-10 and MCP-1 chemokine secretion, but only a minor increase in IL-12p40 secretion. In line with this, maturation with IFN-alpha has only a small effect on induction of autologous T-cell stimulatory capacity of the DC. However, an increase in DC allogeneic T-cell stimulatory capacity was observed. These data suggest that IFN-alpha has a potential as a maturation agent used in DC-based cancer vaccine trials, but not as a single reagent.     

香加皮羽扇豆烷乙酸酯(CPLA)对树突状细胞分化成熟的影响

目的：探讨香加皮羽扇豆烷乙酸酯（CPLA）对人外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）来源的树突状细胞（DC）在体外分化成熟及免疫活性的影响。方法：从人外周血分离单个核细胞，与细胞因子GM—CSF、IL-4共培养，于第5天加入DC的促成熟刺激剂TNF-α（阳性对照组）或CPLA。倒置显微镜和透射电镜下观察DC的形态；应用流式细胞术检测成熟DC的表面标志CD1a、CD83、CD80和CD86的表达情况；用ELISA检测DC培养上清中IL-12和IFN-γ的含量；用MTT法测定DC刺激T细胞增殖的能力。结果：培养10d后，经CPLA刺激的PBMC呈现出典型DC的形态学特征；成熟DC的特征性表面分子CD1a、CD83、CD80和CD86表达水平均明显上调（P〈0．05）；细胞培养上清中IL-12和IFN-γ含量明显增高（P〈0．05）；刺激T细胞增殖的能力明显增强（P〈0．05）。结论：CPLA可诱导PBMC来源的DC分化成熟，并可促进其细胞因子的分泌，增强DC的免疫调节活性。     

A Cryopreservation Method of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells for Efficient Production of Dendritic Cells

The establishment of a cryopreservation method for unstimulated fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with nearly 100% viability would greatly contribute to the conduct of various immunological experiments. The cells most sensitive to freezing and thawing procedure seem to be dendritic cells (DC) and their precursors, which are of the most potent antigen-presenting cells. The authors investigated and established a method of cryopreserving fresh PBMC from which DC were recovered and differentiated efficiently by using recombinant (r) GM-CSF and rIL-4. PBMC frozen in the presence of 12% dimethylsulfoxide and 25–30% fetal calf serum recovered DC as efficiently as freshly obtained PBMC. Established DC could also be cryopreserved in the presence of 12% DMSO with their viability maintained at more than 90%. The 12% DMSO freezing solutions were superior to both the 10% DMSO solution and the previously reported DC freezing medium (2 m or 15.4% DMSO). The DC obtained from the cryopreserved PBMC expressed HLA-DR, HLA-DQ, CD80 and CD86 antigens, and stimulated allogenic PBMC to an extent almost identical to that obtained from fresh PBMC. These findings indicate that the conditioned medium utilized here enables safe cryopreservation of DC and DC precursors in PBMC.