Potential Regulatory Function of Human Dendritic Cells Expressing Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1073514
• Publication Date: 2002-09-12T22:02:54Z
• Authors: David H. Munn; Madhav D. Sharma; Jeffrey R. Lee; Kanchan G. Jhaver; Theodore S. Johnson; Derin B. Keskin; Brendan Marshall; Phillip Chandler; Scott J. Antonia; Russell Burgess; Craig L. Slingluff; Andrew L. Mellor
• Keywords: Receptors, CCR6; Lymphoid Tissue; Macrophages; Interleukin-3 Receptor alpha Subunit; Antigen-Presenting Cells; Down-Regulation; Dendritic Cells; Lymphocyte Activation; Receptors, Interleukin-3; Interleukin-10; Interferon-gamma; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Antigens, CD; Cell Adhesion; Humans; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase; Cell Lineage; Receptors, Chemokine; Enzyme Inhibitors; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; Cells, Cultured

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) can induce tolerance or immunity. We describe a subset of human APCs that express indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and inhibit T cell proliferation in vitro. IDO-positive APCs constituted a discrete subset identified by coexpression of the cell-surface markers CD123 and CCR6. In the dendritic cell (DC) lineage, IDO-mediated suppressor activity was present in fully mature as well as immature CD123 + DCs. IDO + DCs could also be readily detected in vivo, which suggests that these cells may represent a regulatory subset of APCs in humans.