Dendritic Cell Dynamics in the Liver and Hepatic Lymph

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(1) Turnover of interstitial dendritic cells (DC) in the rat liver is in the order of 2-3 wk. DC in the liver (interstitial DC) capture and process antigens, enter the draining lymph (DC in hepatic lymph) and accumulate in the T cell area of hepatic lymph nodes (REFERENCE 1).(2) DC precursors could be recruited to the liver after intravenous injection of latex (rats, REF.2) or P. acnes bacilli (mice, REF.4,8).(3) Intravenously injected DC soon appeared in the liver and displayed a sudden arrest in sinusoids in periportal regions. These DC mostly bound to Kupffer cells and then moved to the portal area by 4 hr (REF. 2,9).(4) Both DC precursors and DCs at the antigen-transporting stage could be recruited to the liver and their majority initially showed a selective binding to Kupffer cells through N-acetylgalactosamine-specific C-type lectin-like receptors (REF.2, 3).(5) Donor MHCII+ cells in host lymphoid tissues after liver allotransplantation have a phenotype of immature DC and may correspond to rat DC progenitors in the liver (in preparation).(7) When allogeneic DCs were intravenously injected, or heart graft was transplanted, donor DCs formed clusters with proliferating host T lymphoblasts (rosettes) in hepatic lymph nodes where the T-cell proliferative response started (REF.5, 6).In summary, DC system in the liver is highly elaborated and tightly connected to the immune system, contributing to not only local defense but also systemic host defense to blood-borne antigens.