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Langerhans cell migration is modulated by N‐sulfated glucosamine moieties in heparin
Author(s) -
O'Sullivan G. M.,
Boswell C. M.,
Halliday G. M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0625.2000.009001025.x
Subject(s) - heparin , epidermis (zoology) , chemistry , sulfation , cell migration , langerhans cell , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , glucosamine , glycosaminoglycan , dendritic cell , lymph , antigen , cell , biochemistry , immunology , biology , anatomy , pathology , medicine
Dendritic cell (DC) migration into and out of tissues is important for the generation of primary immune responses to antigens encountered in tissues. In order to study the mechanisms involved in DC migration we used a skin explant system and quantitated the number of Langerhans cells (LC), which are immature precursors of DC in skin‐draining lymph nodes, remaining in the epidermis in response to incubation with various biomolecules. This paper shows that LC trafficking in epidermis is a metabolically active process that is modulated by heparin, specifically by N‐sulfated glucosamine moieties in heparin. This is the first demonstration of structural specificity in the biochemical requirements for DC migration in a tissue and therefore is important to understanding DC migration in general.