Asialoglycoprotein receptors on rat dendritic cells: possible roles for binding with Kupffer cells and ingesting...

Rat dendritic cells selectively bind to Kupffer cells in vitro. The present study aimed to reveal adhesion molecules on dendritic cells and their roles in the host defense system. The in situ binding assay to examine the effects of pretreatment of dendritic cells with various kinds of monosaccharides suggested that N-acetylgalactosamine was necessary for the binding of dendritic cells to Kupffer cells. This binding was also attenuated when dendritic cells were injected into an ex vivo liver perfusion circuit together with N-acetyl-galactosamine. It was further shown that the majority of rat lymph dendritic cells and some interdigitating dendritic cells in the lymph nodes possessed asialoglycoprotein receptors specific for N-acetylgalactosamine/galactose as detected by immunostaining. Lymph dendritic cells could ingest virus particles in vitro, even though these cells showed no phagocytic activity for latex particles. The results indicate that rat dendritic cells possess asialoglycoprotein receptors which are probably utilized to recognize Kupffer cells for their recruitment to the liver and possibly to recognize virus particles prior to phagocytosis.