Coincident expression of the chemokine receptors CCR6 and CCR7 by pathologic Langerhans cells in Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • It has been suggested that a switch in chemokine receptor expression underlies Langerhans cell migration from skin to lymphoid tissue. Activated cells are thought to down-regulate CCR6, whose ligand macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3 alpha)/CCL20 is expressed in skin, and up-regulate CCR7, whose ligands are in lymphoid tissues. In Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), pathologic Langerhans cells (LCs) accumulate in several tissues, including skin, bone, and lymphoid organs. We have examined 24 LCH cases and find that pathologic LCs expressed CCR6 and CCR7 coincidentally in all cases. Furthermore, MIP-3 alpha/CCL20 is expressed by keratinocytes in involved skin and by macrophages and osteoblasts in involved bone. Expression of CCR6 by pathologic LCs may contribute to their accumulation in nonlymphoid organs such as skin and bone, whereas CCR7 expression may direct them to lymphoid tissue. Histiocytes in Rosai-Dorfman disease and hemophagocytic syndrome also coexpressed CCR6 and CCR7, suggesting that this may be a general attribute of abnormal histiocytes.

publication date

  • April 1, 2003

Research

keywords

  • Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell
  • Langerhans Cells
  • Receptors, Chemokine

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0038784316

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1182/blood.V101.7.2473

PubMed ID

  • 12642342

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 101

issue

  • 7