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Published on: June 22, 2016
Age-matched dendritic cell subpopulations reference values in childhood
1Department of Pediatrics, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. annekathrin.heinze@kgu.de
Insights
This study establishes age-based reference ranges for dendritic cell (DC) subpopulations in 100 healthy children using a single-platform method. Findings reveal a decline in myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs with age and lower myeloid DC counts in girls versus boys.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatric immunology
- Cellular immunology
Background:
- Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial antigen-presenting cells linking innate and adaptive immunity.
- Limited age-based reference values for pediatric DC subpopulations exist, hindering clinical interpretation.
- Previous studies often used dual-platform approaches, unlike the single-platform method employed here.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish comprehensive age-matched reference ranges for myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in healthy children.
- To investigate the impact of age and sex on DC subpopulations in a larger pediatric cohort.
- To provide a reliable basis for diagnosing DC-related abnormalities in pediatric diseases and therapies.
Main Methods:
- A single-platform, lyse no-wash procedure was utilized for DC analysis.
- DC subpopulations were identified as myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) based on specific cell surface markers.
- Semi-parametric regression analysis was applied to establish age-matched reference ranges for DC counts in peripheral blood.
Main Results:
- Significant age-related declines were observed in the medians of both mDCs and pDCs per μl of peripheral blood.
- Reference ranges (50%, 90%, 95%) for DC subpopulations also showed a significant decrease with increasing age.
- Absolute mDC counts per μl of peripheral blood were significantly lower in girls compared to boys across all age groups.
Conclusions:
- This study provides precise, age-matched reference ranges for pediatric DC subpopulations using a modern single-platform approach.
- The findings highlight significant developmental trends in DC counts during childhood, influenced by both age and sex.
- These established ranges are vital for identifying aberrant DC levels in pediatric conditions and post-transplant monitoring.
Abstract:
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells and are the key link between the innate and adaptive immune response. Only a few reports with study populations of up to 50 individuals have been published with age-based reference values for DC subpopulations in healthy children. Therefore, we aimed to establish reference ranges in a larger study population of 100 healthy children, which allowed age-matched subgroups. Most previous studies were performed using a dual-platform approach. In this study, a single-platform approach in a lyse no-wash procedure was used. DC subpopulations were defined as follows: CD45(+) CD85k(+) HLA-DR(+) CD14(-) CD16(-) CD33(+) cells as myeloid DCs (mDCs) and CD45(+) CD85k(+) HLA-DR(+) CD14(-) CD16(-) CD123(+) cells as plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). Reference ranges were established using a semi-parametric regression of age-matched absolute and relative DC counts. We found a significant decline with increasing age in the medians of mDCs (P = 0.0003) and pDCs per μl peripheral blood (PB) (P = 0.004) and in the 50%, 90% and 95% reference ranges. We also identified significantly lower absolute cell counts of mDCs per μl PB in girls than in boys for all age groups (P = 0.0015). Due to the larger paediatric study population and single-platform approach, this study may give a more precise overview of the normal age-matched development of DC subpopulations and may provide a basis for analyzing abnormal DC counts in different illnesses or therapies such as post stem cell transplantation.
