Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of Dendritic Cells and Macrophages from the Mouse Intestine
Published on: May 21, 2012
Evidence for dendritic cell-dependent CD4(+) T helper-1 type responses to commensal bacteria in normal human
Rawleigh Howe1, Stephanie Dillon, Lisa Rogers
1Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado 80045, USA.
Abstract:
Reactivity of lamina propria (LP) T cells to commensal bacteria has been demonstrated in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in humans with IBD, but few studies have evaluated the function of such cells in normal individuals. LP mononuclear cells (LPMC) were disaggregated from healthy human intestinal tissue and cultured with heat-killed commensal and pathogenic bacteria. CD3(+)CD4(+) IFN-gamma-producing (Th1) cells reactive to commensal bacteria were demonstrated at frequencies ranging from 0.05 to 2.28% in LPMC. Bacteria-specific Th1 responses were inhibited by anti-HLA-DR antibodies and chloroquine exposure, were enriched in LP relative to peripheral blood, and expressed effector memory cell markers. Bacteria-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferation in vitro was dependent on the presence of LP dendritic cells (DCs), which produced pro-inflammatory cytokines upon bacterial exposure. These results suggest that bacteria-reactive DCs and CD4(+) T cells in normal LP have substantial pro-inflammatory potential that is revealed upon disaggregation in vitro.
Related Concept Videos
Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells
Cell-mediated Immune Responses
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

