CCL17 production by mouse langerhans cells stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus cell wall components

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) show increased numbers of Th2 cells in their acute skin lesions and superficial skin colonization by Staphylococcus aureus. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of S. aureus cell wall components on Th2 chemokine production by murine Langerhans cells (LCs). Murine LCs were stimulated with peptidoglycan (PEG) and/or muramyldipeptide (MDP) for 24 or 48 h, and Th1 and Th2 chemokine production was investigated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PEG-stimulation of LCs induced production of the Th2 chemokine CCL17 and this was enhanced in the presence of interleukin (IL)-4. A low-molecular weight PEG fragment, MDP, did not induce CCL17 production by LCs. However, when LCs were stimulated with PEG in combination with MDP, PEG-induced CCL17 production was synergistically enhanced by MDP. Furthermore, PEG- and MDP-induced CCL17 production was enhanced to a greater extent in the presence of IL-4. These results suggest that S. aureus colonization in AD patients may enhance the Th2-prone immune response through upregulation of CCL17 production by LCs, which would occur as a result of simultaneous stimulation with PEG and MDP from S. aureus in a Th2 environment.