The dermis contains langerin+ dendritic cells that develop and function independently of epidermal Langerhans cells.

Langerhans cells (LCs) constitute a subset of dendritic cells (DCs) that express the lectin langerin and that reside in their immature state in epidermis. Paradoxically, in mice permitting diphtheria toxin (DT)-mediated ablation of LCs, epidermal LCs reappeared with kinetics that lagged behind that of their putative progeny found in lymph nodes (LNs). Using bone marrow (BM) chimeras, we showed that a major fraction of the langerin(+), skin-derived DCs found in LNs originates from a developmental pathway that is independent from that of epidermal LCs. This pathway, the existence of which was unexpected, originates in the dermis and gives rise to langerin(+) dermal DCs (DDCs) that should not be confused with epidermal LCs en route to LNs. It explains that after DT treatment, some langerin(+), skin-derived DCs reappear in LNs long before LC-derived DCs. Using CD45 expression and BrdU-labeling kinetics, both LCs and langerin(+) DDCs were found to coexist in wild-type mice. Moreover, DT-mediated ablation of epidermal LCs opened otherwise filled niches and permitted repopulation of adult noninflammatory epidermis with BM-derived LCs. Our results stress that the langerin(+) DC network is more complex than originally thought and have implications for the development of transcutaneous vaccines and the improvement of humanized mouse models.

The Function of Intestinal Afferent Neurons in Regulating Satiety During Health and Obesity

Background and aim: Within the gastrointestinal tract, vagal afferents regulate satiety and food intake via chemical and mechanical mechanisms. Cysteinyl Leukotrienes (CysLTs) are lipid mediators that are believed to regulate food intake and body weight. However, the involvement of vagal afferents in this effect remains to be established. Conversely, Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a satiety and incretin peptide hormone. The effect of obesity on GLP-1 mediated gut-brain signaling has yet to be investigated. Since intestinal vagal afferents’ activity is reduced during obesity, it is intriguing to investigate their responses to GLP-1 in such conditions. Methods: Extracellular recordings were performed on intestinal afferents from normal C57Bl6, low fat fed (LFF), and high fat fed (HFF) mice. To examine the effect on neuronal calcium signaling, calcium-imaging experiments were performed on isolated nodose ganglion neurons. Food intake experiments were conducted using LFF and HFF mice. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were carried out. Whole cell patch clamp recordings were performed on nodose ganglion neurons from A) normal C57Bl mice to test the effect of CysLTs on membrane excitability, B) LFF and HFF mice to examine GLP-1 effect on membrane excitability during obesity. c-Fos immunohistochemical techniques were performed to measure the level of neuronal activation in the brainstem of both LFF and HFF mice in response to Ex-4. Results: CysLTs increased intestinal afferent firing rate and mechanosensitivity. In single nodose neuron experiments, CysLTs increased excitability. The GLP-1 agonist Ex-4 significantly decreased food intake in LFF but not HFF mice. However, Ex-4 markedly attenuated the rise in blood glucose in both LFF and HFF mice. The observed increase in nerve firing and mechanosensitivity following the application of GLP-1 and Ex-4 was abolished in HFF mice. Cell membrane excitability was significantly increased by Ex-4 in nodose from LFF but not HFF mice. Ex-4 significantly increased the number of activated neurons in the NTS area of LFF mice but not in their HFF counterparts. Conclusion: The previous observations indicate that the role CysLTs play in regulating satiety is likely to be vagally mediated. Also that satiety, but not incretin, effects of GLP-1 are impaired during obesity.

The mouse and human IGSF6 (DORA) genes map to the inflammatory bowel disease 1 locus and are embedded in an intron of a gene of unknown function.

We have previously characterized IGSF6 (DORA), a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IGSF) from human and rat expressed in dendritic and myeloid cells. Using a probe from the open reading frame of the rat cDNA, we isolated a cosmid which contains the entire mouse gene. By comparative analysis and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we defined the intron/exon structure and the mRNA of the mouse gene and, with respect to human BAC clones, the human gene. The genes span 10 kb (mouse) and 12 kb (human), with six exons arranged in a manner similar to other members of the IGSF. All intron/exon boundaries follow the GT-AG rule. Expression of the mouse Igsf6 gene is restricted to cells of the immune system, particularly macrophages. Northern blot revealed a single mRNA of 2.5 kb, in contrast to the human gene which is expressed as two mRNAs of 1 and 2.5 kb. The human and mouse genes were localized to a locus associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Analysis of the flanking regions of the Igsf6 gene revealed the presence of an unrelated gene, transcribed from the opposite strand of the DNA and oriented such that the Igsf6 gene is encoded entirely within an intron. An identical organization is seen in human. This gene of unknown function is transcribed and processed, contains homologues in Caenorhabditis elegans and prokaryotes, and is expressed in most organs in the mouse.

The 67 kDa laminin receptor: structure, function and role in disease

The 67LR (67 kDa laminin receptor) is a cell-surface receptor with high affinity for its primary ligand. Its role as a laminin receptor makes it an important molecule both in cell adhesion to the basement membrane and in signalling transduction following this binding event. The protein also plays critical roles in the metastasis of tumour cells. Isolation of the protein from either normal or cancerous cells results in a product with an approx. molecular mass of 67 kDa. This protein is believed to be derived from a smaller precursor, the 37LRP (37 kDa laminin receptor precursor). However, the precise mechanism by which cytoplasmic 37LRP becomes cell-membrane-embedded 67LR is unclear. The process may involve post-translational fatty acylation of the protein combined with either homo- or hetero-dimerization, possibly with a galectin-3-epitope-containing partner. Furthermore, it has become clear that acting as a receptor for laminin is not the only function of this protein. 67LR also acts as a receptor for viruses, such as Sindbis virus and dengue virus, and is involved with internalization of the prion protein. Interestingly, unmodified 37LRP is a ribosomal component and homologues of this protein are found in all five kingdoms. In addition, it appears to be strongly associated with histones in the eukaryotic cell nucleus, although the precise role of these interactions is not clear. Here we review the current understanding of the structure and function of this molecule, as well as highlighting areas requiring further research.