Plasmacytoid dendritic cells induce plasma cell differentiation through type I interferon and interleukin 6. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate and control immune responses. Plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) represent a unique DC subset able to promptly release large amounts of type I interferon (IFN-alphabeta) upon viral encounter. Here we report that depletion of pDCs from human blood mononuclear cells abrogates the secretion of specific and polyclonal IgGs in response to influenza virus. Furthermore, purified pDCs triggered with virus induce CD40-activated B cells to differentiate into plasma cells. Two pDC cytokines act sequentially, with IFN-alphabeta generating non-Ig-secreting plasma blasts and IL-6 inducing their differentiation into Ig-secreting plasma cells. These plasma cells display the high levels of CD38 found on tissue plasma cells. Thus, pDCs are critical for the generation of plasma cells and antibody responses.

publication date

  • August 1, 2003

Research

keywords

  • Dendritic Cells
  • Interferon Type I
  • Interleukin-6
  • Plasma Cells

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0041429619

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/s1074-7613(03)00208-5

PubMed ID

  • 12932356

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 19

issue

  • 2