Dramatic Numerical Increase of Functionally Mature Dendritic Cells in FLT3 Ligand-Treated Mice

Dendritic cells (DC) are rare hematopoietic-derived cells that are predominantly found in the T-cell-dependent areas of lymphoid tissue, as well as other tissues of the body1. These cells express high levels of class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, CD11c2, the mannose-receptor like protein DEC2053,4 and adhesion and costimulatory molecules1. A substantial proportion of DC express CD8α as a homodimer5. DC specialize in processing and presenting foreign and self antigens to induce immunity1 or tolerance6,7. The lineage derivation of DC remains controversial, but there is growing evidence that DC can be subdivided into myeloid-derived8–17 and lymphoid-derived populations17–19.