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Expression of cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen defined by monoclonal antibody HECA-452 on human Langerhans
Insights
Cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) is expressed on Langerhans cells (LC) in the skin. This study suggests CLA acts as a homing molecule for LC in inflammatory skin conditions.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Dermatology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) is a homing molecule for T cells to the skin.
- CLA expression is observed in various inflammatory skin disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the significance of CLA expression on Langerhans cells (LC).
- To determine if CLA acts as a homing molecule for LC.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of normal and diseased skin.
- Organ culture of normal skin to assess CLA expression dynamics.
Main Results:
- Some epidermal LC and most dermal CD1a+ cells express CLA in normal skin.
- CLA expression on LC and dermal CD1a+ cells decreased upon organ culture.
- Increased number of epidermal LC expressing CLA was observed in diseased skin.
Conclusions:
- CLA expression on LC suggests a role as a homing molecule for LC to the skin.
- CLA may be involved in the recruitment of LC to inflamed skin.
Abstract:
Cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) defined by monoclonal antibody (MoAb) HECA-452 has been shown to be preferentially expressed on cutaneous T cells. The CLA expression has been regarded as a homing molecule of T cells to the skin in various inflammatory cutaneous disorders. In this paper we investigated the significance of CLA expression on Langerhans cells (LC) and found that, in normal skin, some epidermal LC express CLA, and that most dermal CD1a positive cells express CLA. When normal skin was organ cultured, the percentage of CLA positive cells in LC and dermal CD1a positive cells decreased appreciably. In diseased skin, epidermal LC increased in number and most LC expressed CLA. Thus, this study suggests that the CLA expression on LC may play as a homing molecule of LC to the skin.
