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Showing papers on "Myeloid published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 is well tolerated and has substantial activity in the blast crises of CML and in Ph-positive ALL.
Abstract: Background BCR-ABL, a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase, is the product of the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. This enzyme is present in virtually all cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) throughout the course of the disease, and in 20 percent of cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). On the basis of the substantial activity of the inhibitor in patients in the chronic phase, we evaluated STI571 (formerly known as CGP 57148B), a specific inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, in patients who had CML in blast crisis and in patients with Ph-chromosome–positive ALL. Methods In this dose-escalating pilot study, 58 patients were treated with STI571; 38 patients had myeloid blast crisis and 20 had ALL or lymphoid blast crisis. Treatment was given orally at daily doses ranging from 300 to 1000 mg. Results Responses occurred in 21 of 38 patients (55 percent) with a myeloid-blast-crisis phenotype; 4 of these 21 patients had a complete hematologic response. Of 20 patients with lymphoid blast crisis ...

2,724 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A remarkable specialization and complementarity in microbial molecule recognition as well as a flexibility in effector function among myeloid and plasmacytoid DC is revealed.
Abstract: Following encounter with pathogens, dendritic cells (DC) mature and migrate from peripheral tissues to the T cell areas of secondary lymphoid organs, where they produce regulatory cytokines and prime naive T lymphocytes. We investigated in two subsets of human peripheral blood DC the expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR1 through TLR9) and the regulation of chemokine receptors and cytokine production in response to different maturation stimuli. Myeloid DC express all TLR except TLR7 and TLR9, which are selectively expressed by plasmacytoid DC. Myeloid and plasmacytoid DC respond to pathogen-associated molecular patterns according to their TLR expression. In response to the appropriate stimuli both DC types up-regulate CCR7, a receptor that drives DC migration to the T cell areas. Type I IFN was produced only by plasmacytoid DC and at early time points after stimulation. Furthermore, its production was elicited by some of the maturation stimuli tested. These results reveal a remarkable specialization and complementarity in microbial molecule recognition as well as a flexibility in effector function among myeloid and plasmacytoid DC.

836 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Oct 2001-Immunity
TL;DR: Phenotypic and functional analysis support that Lin(-)Sca1(+)c-kit(+)flt3(+) cells are progenitors for the common lymphoid progenitor, and upregulation of flt3 expression on Lin(+)Sca 1(+) c-kit (+) HSC cells is accompanied by loss of self-renewal capacity but sustained lymphoid-restricted reconstitution potential.

737 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
15 Oct 2001-Blood
TL;DR: Data indicate that primitive AML cells aberrantly express NF-kappaB and that the presence of this factor may provide unique opportunities to preferentially ablate LSCs.

737 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data argue for a model in which IFN-γ gene regulation involves an autocrine loop, whereby the cytokine regulates a transcription factor that promotes its own production, and substantially alter the current view of T-bet in IFn-γ regulation and promotion of cell-mediated immune responses.
Abstract: Differentiation of naive CD4(+) T cells into IFN-gamma-producing T helper 1 (T(H)1) cells is pivotal for protective immune responses against intracellular pathogens. T-bet, a recently discovered member of the T-box transcription factor family, has been reported to play a critical role in this process, promoting IFN-gamma production. Although terminal T(H)1 differentiation occurs over days, we now show that challenge of mice with a prototypical T(H)1-inducing stimulus, Toxoplasma gondii soluble extract, rapidly induced IFN-gamma and T-bet; T-bet induction was substantially lower in IFN-gamma-deficient mice. Naive T cells expressed little T-bet, but this transcription factor was induced markedly by the combination of IFN-gamma and cognate antigen. Human myeloid antigen-presenting cells showed T-bet induction after IFN-gamma stimulation alone, and this induction was antagonized by IL-4 and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Although T-bet was induced rapidly and directly by IFN-gamma, it was not induced by IFN-alpha, lipopolysaccharide, or IL-1, indicating that this action of IFN-gamma was specific. Moreover, T-bet induction was dependent on Stat1 but not Stat4. These data argue for a model in which IFN-gamma gene regulation involves an autocrine loop, whereby the cytokine regulates a transcription factor that promotes its own production. These findings substantially alter the current view of T-bet in IFN-gamma regulation and promotion of cell-mediated immune responses.

730 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that restoring C/EBPα expression will have therapeutic implications in RUNX1–CBF2T1-positive leukemias and Cebpa knockout mice exhibit an early block in maturation.
Abstract: The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha, or C/EBPalpha, encoded by the CEBPA gene, is crucial for the differentiation of granulocytes. Conditional expression of C/EBPalpha triggers neutrophilic differentiation, and Cebpa knockout mice exhibit an early block in maturation. Dominant-negative mutations of CEBPA have been found in some patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but not in AML with the t(8;21) translocation which gives rise to the fusion gene RUNX1-CBF2T1 (also known as AML1-ETO) encoding the AML1-ETO fusion protein. RUNX1-CBF2T1 positive-AML blasts had eight-fold lower CEBPA RNA levels and undetectable C/EBPalpha protein levels compared with other subgroups of AML patients. Conditional expression of RUNX1-CBF2T1 in U937 cells downregulated CEBPA mRNA, protein and DNA binding activity. AML1-ETO appears to suppress C/EBPalpha expression indirectly by inhibiting positive autoregulation of the CEBPA promoter. Conditional expression of C/EBPalpha in AML1-ETO-positive Kasumi-1 cells results in neutrophilic differentiation. We suggest that restoring C/EBPalpha expression will have therapeutic implications in RUNX1-CBF2T1-positive leukemias.

464 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2001-Blood
TL;DR: The morphologic and molecular genetic evidence presented here supports the zebrafish as an informative model system for the study of normal and aberrant human myelopoiesis and shows high level of conservation of the spatio-temporal expression patterns of these genes between zebra fish and mammals.

433 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2001-Blood
TL;DR: DC developmental potential is preserved during T- but not B-lymphoid differentiation from CLP and during granulocyte-macrophage but not megakaryocyte-erythrocyte development from CMP, suggesting that at steady state, CLPs provide only a minority of splenic DCs and approximately half the DCs in thymus, whereas most DCs, including CD8alpha(+) and CD8 alpha(-) subtypes, are of myeloid origin.

433 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results provide direct evidence that AML1-ETO is critical for causing myeloid leukemia, but one or more additional mutations are required for leukemogenesis.
Abstract: The t(8;21) is one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The translocation, which involves the AML1 gene on chromosome 21 and the ETO gene on chromosome 8, generates an AML1-ETO fusion transcription factor. To examine the effect of the AML1-ETO fusion protein on leukemogenesis, we made transgenic mice in which expression of AML1-ETO is under the control of the human MRP8 promoter (hMRP8-AML1-ETO). AML1-ETO is specifically expressed in myeloid cells, including common myeloid progenitors of hMRP8-AML1-ETO transgenic mice. The transgenic mice were healthy during their life spans, suggesting that AML1-ETO alone is not sufficient for leukemogenesis. However, after treatment of newborn hMRP8-AML1-ETO transgenic mice and their wild-type littermates with a strong DNA-alkylating mutagen, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, 55% of transgenic mice developed AML and the other 45% of transgenic mice and all of the wild-type littermates developed acute T lymphoblastic leukemia. Our results provide direct evidence that AML1-ETO is critical for causing myeloid leukemia, but one or more additional mutations are required for leukemogenesis. The hMRP8-AML1-ETO-transgenic mice provide an excellent model that can be used to isolate additional genetic events and to further understand the molecular pathogenesis of AML1-ETO-related leukemia.

428 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that myeloid DCs from the PP are particularly capable of priming naive T cells to secrete high levels of IL-4 and IL-10, when compared with those from nonmucosal sites, while lymphoid and DNDCs from all tissues prime for IFN-γ production.
Abstract: We have recently demonstrated the presence of three populations of dendritic cells (DC) in the murine Peyer's patch. CD11b(+)/CD8alpha(-) (myeloid) DCs are localized in the subepithelial dome, CD11b(-)/CD8alpha(+) (lymphoid) DCs in the interfollicular regions, and CD11b(-)/CD8alpha(-) (double-negative; DN) DCs at both sites. We now describe the presence of a novel population of intraepithelial DN DCs within the follicle-associated epithelium and demonstrate a predominance of DN DCs only in mucosal lymphoid tissues. Furthermore, we demonstrate that all DC subpopulations maintain their surface phenotype upon maturation in vitro, and secrete a distinct pattern of cytokines upon exposure to T cell and microbial stimuli. Only myeloid DCs from the PP produce high levels of IL-10 upon stimulation with soluble CD40 ligand(-) trimer, or Staphylococcus aureus and IFN-gamma. In contrast, lymphoid and DN, but not myeloid DCs, produce IL-12p70 following microbial stimulation, whereas no DC subset produces IL-12p70 in response to CD40 ligand trimer. Finally, we show that myeloid DCs from the PP are particularly capable of priming naive T cells to secrete high levels of IL-4 and IL-10, when compared with those from nonmucosal sites, while lymphoid and DN DCs from all tissues prime for IFN-gamma production. These findings thus suggest that DC subsets within mucosal tissues have unique immune inductive capacities.

413 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
15 Oct 2001-Blood
TL;DR: It is reported that in HIV-1 infection there is a progressive depletion of both myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells and that this correlates with an increasing HIV- 1 plasma virus load.

Journal ArticleDOI
15 Dec 2001-Blood
TL;DR: The isolation of this novel murine plasmacytoid DC subset may serve as a useful tool in the study of viral immunobiology and for the design of treatments for murine malignancies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The characterization of blood Mo subpopulations revealed that some of them exhibit common features with myeloid or lymphoid DC and tissue Mac, but also demonstrate the existence of novel unique cell populations.
Abstract: In recent years the number of reports describing phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets of human blood leukocytes, and in particular of subtypes of antigen-presenting cells has continuously increased. A great diversity was described not only for dendritic cells (DC), but also for human blood monocytes (Mo) and macrophages (Mac). Similar to DC, the different types of Mo subsets could be defined by distinct phenotypes and immunoregulatory functions. The characterization of blood Mo subpopulations revealed that some of them exhibit common features with myeloid or lymphoid DC and tissue Mac, but also demonstrate the existence of novel unique cell populations. The generation of lymphoid and myeloid DC and their heterogeneity has been the subject of recent reviews. Here we focus on Mo from human peripheral blood and summarize the data (including our own) dealing with their phenotypic and functional, in particular immunoregulatory properties.

Journal ArticleDOI
15 Nov 2001-Blood
TL;DR: The restoration of DC numbers may be predictive of immune restoration and may be a goal for immunotherapy to enhance viral control in a larger proportion of patients.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data suggest that inadvertent targeting of antigen-presenting cells following intraportal infusion of vector leads to a systemic cytokine syndrome which may be triggered by the viral capsid proteins.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 2001-Blood
TL;DR: It is indicated that autocrine production of VEGF may contribute to leukemia progenitor self-renewal and inflammatory cytokine elaboration in CMML and MDS and thus provide a biologic rationale for ALIP and its adverse prognostic relevance in high-risk MDS.

Journal ArticleDOI
15 May 2001-Blood
TL;DR: Data indicate that Mylotarg is rapidly and specifically targeted to CD33(+) cells, followed by internalization and subsequent induction of cell death, which is a promising therapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The immunoregulatory role of iNKT cells is manifested by the recruitment of tolerogenic myeloid DC to the PLN and the inhibition of ongoing autoimmune inflammation.
Abstract: CD1d-restricted invariant NKT (iNKT) cells are immunoregulatory cells whose loss exacerbates diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) female mice. Here, we show that the relative numbers of iNKT cells from the pancreatic islets of NOD mice decrease at the time of conversion from peri-insulitis to invasive insulitis and diabetes. Conversely, NOD male mice who have a low incidence of diabetes showed an increased frequency of iNKT cells. Moreover, administration of α-galactosylceramide, a potent activating ligand presented by CD1d, ameliorated the development of diabetes in NOD female mice and resulted in the accumulation of iNKT cells and myeloid dendritic cells (DC) in pancreatic lymph nodes (PLN), but not in inguinal lymph nodes. Strikingly, injection of NOD female mice with myeloid DC isolated from the PLN, but not those from the inguinal lymph nodes, completely prevented diabetes. Thus, the immunoregulatory role of iNKT cells is manifested by the recruitment of tolerogenic myeloid DC to the PLN and the inhibition of ongoing autoimmune inflammation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data show high expression of IL-3 receptor a chain in hematologic malignancies and CD123 is expressed with a characteristic pattern in cases of hairy cell leukemia, which could be applied to the study of minimal residual disease in acute leukemia.
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The hematopoietic system is controlled by growth factors (cytokines) which can influence cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and functional activation. The study of cytokine receptor expression by flow cytometry could allow us to differentiate between normal and tumoral cells. DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed the expression of the interleukin-3 (IL-3) receptor a chain (CD123) in 22 normal samples and in a wide panel of hematologic malignancies using flow cytometry. We found that CD123 was expressed in the myeloid progenitor subpopulation but in contrast, normal lymphoid progenitors lacked CD123. We analyzed the CD123 expression pattern in 64 patients with acute leukemia, 45 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 19 with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) (13 B-cell lineage ALL and 6 T-cell lineage ALL). RESULTS: All the AML cases except two patients with M7 and all the B-cell lineage ALL patients were CD123 positive. In contrast, all the T-cell lineage ALL cases tested were CD123 negative. We also studied the CD123 expression pattern in 122 patients with a B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease (B-CLPD). CD123 was positive in three situations: 1) typical cases of hairy cell leukemia showed a specific, strong CD123 expression, 2) a subgroup of atypical chronic lymphocytic leukemia with a marked CD11c expression was also CD123 positive, and finally 3) transformed B-CLPD showed the phenomenon of transition from CD123 negativity to CD123 positivity simultaneuosly with morphologic changes. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our data show high expression of IL-3 receptor a chain in hematologic malignancies. Given the high frequency of CD123 reactivity in blast cells in contrast to in normal precursors, this antigen could be applied to the study of minimal residual disease in acute leukemia. CD123 is expressed with a characteristic pattern in cases of hairy cell leukemia.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that deficient production of IFN-alpha by pDC2 from HIV-infected patients results from both selective loss of these cells and their qualitative dysfunction, likely to be key contributors to HIV pathogenesis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that stable expression of c-Myc from an exogenous promoter not responsive to C/EBPα-mediated down-regulation forces myeloblasts to remain in an undifferentiated state, which is critical for allowing early myeloid precursors to enter a differentiation pathway.
Abstract: CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) is an integral factor in the granulocytic developmental pathway, as myeloblasts from C/EBPalpha-null mice exhibit an early block in differentiation. Since mice deficient for known C/EBPalpha target genes do not exhibit the same block in granulocyte maturation, we sought to identify additional C/EBPalpha target genes essential for myeloid cell development. To identify such genes, we used both representational difference analysis and oligonucleotide array analysis with RNA derived from a C/EBPalpha-inducible myeloid cell line. From each of these independent screens, we identified c-Myc as a C/EBPalpha negatively regulated gene. We mapped an E2F binding site in the c-Myc promoter as the cis-acting element critical for C/EBPalpha negative regulation. The identification of c-Myc as a C/EBPalpha target gene is intriguing, as it has been previously shown that down-regulation of c-Myc can induce myeloid differentiation. Here we show that stable expression of c-Myc from an exogenous promoter not responsive to C/EBPalpha-mediated down-regulation forces myeloblasts to remain in an undifferentiated state. Therefore, C/EBPalpha negative regulation of c-Myc is critical for allowing early myeloid precursors to enter a differentiation pathway. This is the first report to demonstrate that C/EBPalpha directly affects the level of c-Myc expression and, thus, the decision of myeloid blasts to enter into the granulocytic differentiation pathway.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An attempt to address the nature and properties of immature myeloid suppressors and their relationship to dendritic cells and macrophages, with the aim of clarifying the complex network of tumor-induced, negative regulators of the immune system.
Abstract: In the late 1970s, several findings suggested that accessory cells distinct from lymphocytes might suppress immune reactivity in tumor-bearing hosts. Studies in animal models and patients later confirmed that cells driven to act as dominant immune suppressors by growing cancers could subvert the immune system. These cells have also been termed natural suppressors, a functional definition connoting their ability to hamper various T- and B-lymphocyte responses without prior activation and independently from antigen and MHC restriction. These properties were attributed to distinct cell populations. The phenotypic discrepancies, together with the lack of antigen specificity, have generated serious restraints to research on tumor-induced suppression. Recent evidence indicates that suppressor cells are closely related to immature myeloid precursors and can be found in several situations that can exert adverse effects on the immunotherapy of cancer. The present review is an attempt to address the nature and properties of immature myeloid suppressors and their relationship to dendritic cells and macrophages, with the aim of clarifying the complex network of tumor-induced, negative regulators of the immune system.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 2001-Brain
TL;DR: Myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in CSF may contribute to orchestration of the local immune responses in patients with multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory neurological diseases and non-inflammatory neurological diseases.
Abstract: Little is known about the presence of dendritic cells in the human CNS. To investigate the occurrence of dendritic cells in the CSF, paired blood/CSF samples from patients with multiple sclerosis, acute optic neuritis, Lyme neuroborreliosis, other inflammatory neurological diseases and non-inflammatory neurological diseases were examined using flow cytometry. Almost all CSF samples contained myeloid (lin–CD11c+HLA-DR++CD123dim) and plasmacytoid (lin–CD11c–HLA-DR+CD123high) dendritic cells. In non-inflammatory neurological diseases, dendritic cells of either subset only constituted up to 1% of CSF mononuclear cells. Myeloid CSF dendritic cells were elevated in optic neuritis, neuroborreliosis and other inflammatory neurological disorders, while plasmacytoid dendritic cells were elevated in all neuroinflammatory conditions studied, with especially high numbers in neuroborreliosis. Numbers of CSF dendritic cells correlated with the common parameters of CNS inflammation. The myeloid dendritic cells in CSF expressed higher levels of HLA-DR, CD86, CD80 and CD40 than those in blood, whereas expression of these molecules by plasmacytoid dendritic cells was equal in blood and CSF. Both CSF and blood dendritic cells expressed the chemokine receptor CCR5. This is the first demonstration that dendritic cells are present in human CSF and that plasmacytoid dendritic cells are present in a non-lymphoid compartment. Myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in CSF may contribute to orchestration of the local immune responses.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Hemopoietic chimeras serving as a mouse model for NUP98–HOXA9‐induced leukemia reproduced several of the phenotypes observed in human disease, illustrating the complexity of leukemic transformation.
Abstract: Here we describe hemopoietic chimeras serving as a mouse model for NUP98-HOXA9-induced leukemia, which reproduced several of the phenotypes observed in human disease. Mice transplanted with bone marrow cells expressing NUP98-HOXA9 through retroviral transduction acquire a myeloproliferative disease (MPD) and eventually succumb to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The NUP98 portion of the fusion protein was shown to be responsible for transforming a clinically silent pre-leukemic phase observed for Hoxa9 into a chronic, stem cell-derived MPD. The co-expression of NUP98-HOXA9 and Meis1 accelerated the transformation of MPD to AML, identifying a genetic interaction previously observed for Hoxa9 and Meis1. Our findings demonstrate the presence of overlapping yet distinct molecular mechanisms for MPD versus AML, illustrating the complexity of leukemic transformation.

Journal ArticleDOI
12 Jan 2001-Cell
TL;DR: JunB is identified as a key transcriptional regulator of myelopoiesis and a potential tumor suppressor gene and fully reverts the immature and hyperproliferative phenotype of JunB-deficient myeloid cells.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that expression of lymphocyte-associated genes and immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement occurred before CD45R acquisition and identification of these extremely early lymphoid precursors should facilitate investigation of the molecular mechanisms that control lineage-fate decisions in hematopoiesis.
Abstract: Estrogen is a negative regulator of lymphopoiesis and provides an experimental tool for probing relationships between lymphocyte precursors and stem cells. We found that expression of lymphocyte-associated genes and immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement occurred before CD45R acquisition. Lymphoid-restricted progenitors that were Lin−IL-7Rα+c-kitloTdT+ (lineage marker−, interleukin receptor 7α+, c-kitlo and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase+) were selectively depleted in estrogen-treated mice; within a less differentiated Lin−c-kithi fraction, functional precursors of B and T, but not myeloid, cells were also selectively depleted. TdT and an Ig heavy chain transgene were detected within a hormone-regulated Lin−c-kithiSca-1+CD27+Flk-2+IL-7Rα− subset of this multipotential progenitor population. Identification of these extremely early lymphoid precursors should facilitate investigation of the molecular mechanisms that control lineage-fate decisions in hematopoiesis.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 2001-Blood
TL;DR: Results demonstrate that survivin is highly expressed and cytokine-regulated in myeloid leukemias and suggest that hematopoietic cytokines exert their antiapoptotic and mitogenic effects, at least in part, by increasing survivin levels.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Culture of AML cells on HS-5 monolayers improved in vitro leukemia cell survival and attenuated chemotherapy-induced leukemia cell killing, and allows drug sensitivity testing in growth conditions more similar to the bone marrow microenvironment.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Sep 2001-Immunity
TL;DR: Hematogenous potential was present inside the embryo as early as day 19 of development in the absence of detectable CD34+ hematopoietic cells, and spanned both lymphoid and myeloid lineages from day 24 in the splanchnopleural mesoderm and derived aorta where CD34- progenitors appear at day 27.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Three distinct dendritic cell (DC) subsets capable of stimulating allogeneic naive T cells were isolated from human thymus and the detection of Spi-B mRNA, not only upon in vitro maturation of pDCs, but also in freshly purified IDCs, suggests that in vivo p DCs may differentiate into IDCs.
Abstract: Three distinct dendritic cell (DC) subsets capable of stimulating allogeneic naive T cells were isolated from human thymus. The most abundant subset was represented by plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), which secreted high amounts of IFN-α upon stimulation with inactivated influenza virus and thus likely correspond to the recently identified peripheral blood natural IFN-α/β‐producing cells (IPCs). Like those latter cells, thymic pDCs had distinctive phenotypic features (i.e., Lin ‐ , HLA-DR int , IL-3Rα hi , CD45RA hi , CD11c‐, CD13‐, and CD33lo) and developed into mature DCs upon culture in IL-3 and CD40L. Of the two other DC subsets, one displayed a phenotype of immature myeloid DCs (imDCs) (HLA-DR int , CD11c+, CD13+, CD33+), and the other represented HLA-DRhi CD11c+ mature DCs (mDCs). Since they also expressed DC-LAMP, these mDCs appear to correspond to interdigitating dendritic cells (IDCs). Thymic pDCs, but not myeloid imDCs, strongly expressed lymphoid-specific transcripts such as preTα, λ-like, and Spi-B, thereby suggesting a possible lymphoid origin. The detection of Spi-B mRNA, not only upon in vitro maturation of pDCs, but also in freshly purified IDCs, suggests that in vivo pDCs may differentiate into IDCs. J. Clin. Invest. 107:835‐844 (2001).