University of Pittsburgh researchers define precursors to cells that control the immun...( n the skin remained as a missing link...)

n the skin remained as a missing link," said Adriana T. Larregina, M.D., Ph.D., research assistant professor, department of dermatology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who led the study with Adrian E. Morelli, M.D., Ph.D., research assistant professor, department of surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. "By defining them, we gain the ability to target or retrieve the cells and study their therapeutic potential."

To identify the precursors, University of Pittsburgh researchers targeted a population of migratory cells present in the dermis of human skin, which expressed molecules that distinguish LCs from other types of DCs. They found that when these cells were cultured with transforming growth factor-beta 1, a growth factor that plays a role in differentiation and the immune response, the cells differentiated into epidermal LCs. When cultured in granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor, a protein that promotes the recovery of white cells, and interleukin-4, proteins present in inflamed skin, the precursors acquired a strong immune stimulatory function, differentiating into functionally mature DCs. By defining these precursor cells, researchers now can begin to investigate their therapeutic potential.

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Contact: Jocelyn Uhl
uhljh@msx.upmc.edu
412-647-3555
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
11-Nov-2001

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