CD-1 (T6), HLA-DR-expressing cells, presumably Langerhans cells, in nasal mucosa

In the skin, epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) constitute a major population of antigen-presenting cells. These cells are characterized by the expression of both CD-1 (T6) and HLA-DR on the cell membrane. We wanted to know whether similar CD-1/HLA-DR-positive cells occur in the nasal mucosa of patients with an isolated grass pollen allergy and in non-allergic controls. CD-1/HLA-DR-positive dendritic cells were found in columnar and cuboidal epithelium and the lamina propria of the nasal mucosa. These CD-1/HLA-DR-positive cells presumably correspond with LC in the skin. We also found significantly more CD-1-positive cells in nasal biopsy samples of allergic than in those of the non-allergic controls. In the allergic patients some of the CD-1-positive cells were found to be surface IgE-positive, possibly due to passive adherence of IgE to Fc receptors.