Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1985 Jul;52(1):81–85. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1985.152

Carcinogen-induced depletion of cutaneous Langerhans cells.

H K Muller, G M Halliday, B A Knight
PMCID: PMC1977164  PMID: 3925975

Abstract

The chemical carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA) is a potent carcinogen which, when applied to the skin of BALB/c mice weekly for 7-8 weeks, causes the induction of macroscopically visible skin tumours. We report that DMBA also depletes Langerhans cells (LC) from treated skin; the number of cutaneous LC is reduced by nearly 50% 3 days after the first application of DMBA, and continues to decrease upon further treatment. After 7-8 weeks of DMBA application, while tumours are becoming macroscopically visible, there is a considerably lower LC density in treated skin. Upon cessation of the DMBA treatment, the LC repopulate the skin, returning to control values within 55-64 days. During this repopulation of the skin by LC, the tumours begin to decrease in size. Since LC function as local cutaneous antigen-presenting cells, and are responsible for initiation of an immune response against antigens in the skin, their depletion during tumour induction may allow DMBA-transformed cells to circumvent the immune system and form tumours. Their reappearance associated with tumour regression suggests that the LC are involved in an immune response against the tumours.

Full text

PDF
81

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aberer W., Schuler G., Stingl G., Hönigsmann H., Wolff K. Ultraviolet light depletes surface markers of Langerhans cells. J Invest Dermatol. 1981 Mar;76(3):202–210. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12525745. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baker K. W., Habowsky J. E. EDTA separation and ATPase Langerhans cell staining in the mouse epidermis. J Invest Dermatol. 1983 Feb;80(2):104–107. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12531712. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Belsito D. V., Baer R. L., Thorbecke G. J., Gigli I. Effect of glucocorticoids and gamma radiation on epidermal Langerhans cells. J Invest Dermatol. 1984 Feb;82(2):136–138. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12259684. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bergstresser P. R., Fletcher C. R., Streilein J. W. Surface densities of Langerhans cells in relation to rodent epidermal sites with special immunologic properties. J Invest Dermatol. 1980 Feb;74(2):77–80. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12519909. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Berman B., Chen V. L., France D. S., Dotz W. I., Petroni G. Anatomical mapping of epidermal Langerhans cell densities in adults. Br J Dermatol. 1983 Nov;109(5):553–558. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1983.tb07678.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bigger C. A., Sawicki J. T., Blake D. M., Raymond L. G., Dipple A. Products of binding of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene to DNA in mouse skin. Cancer Res. 1983 Dec;43(12 Pt 1):5647–5651. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Braathen L. R., Thorsby E. Human epidermal Langerhans cells are more potent than blood monocytes in inducing some antigen-specific T-cell responses. Br J Dermatol. 1983 Feb;108(2):139–146. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1983.tb00055.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Daniels T. E. Human mucosal Langerhans cells: postmortem identification of regional variations in oral mucosa. J Invest Dermatol. 1984 Jan;82(1):21–24. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12259038. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dipple A., Pigott M., Moschel R. C., Costantino N. Evidence that binding of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene to DNA in mouse embryo cell cultures results in extensive substitution of both adenine and guanine residues. Cancer Res. 1983 Sep;43(9):4132–4135. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Friedmann P. S. Disappearance of epidermal Langerhans cells during PUVA therapy. Br J Dermatol. 1981 Aug;105(2):219–221. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1981.tb01209.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gschnait F., Brenner W. Kinetics of epidermal Langerhans cells. J Invest Dermatol. 1979 Dec;73(6):566–569. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12541607. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kalland T., Forsberg J. G. 3-methylcholanthrene: transient inhibition of the lytic step of mouse natural killer cells. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1983 Aug;71(2):385–390. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Muller H. K., Flannery G. R. Epidermal antigens in experimental keratoacanthoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res. 1973 Sep;33(9):2181–2186. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Noonan F. P., Bucana C., Sauder D. N., De Fabo E. C. Mechanism of systemic immune suppression by UV irradiation in vivo. II. The UV effects on number and morphology of epidermal Langerhans cells and the UV-induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity have different wavelength dependencies. J Immunol. 1984 May;132(5):2408–2416. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ptak W., Rozycka D., Askenase P. W., Gershon R. K. Role of antigen-presenting cells in the development and persistence of contact hypersensitivity. J Exp Med. 1980 Feb 1;151(2):362–375. doi: 10.1084/jem.151.2.362. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rowden G. The Langerhans cell. Crit Rev Immunol. 1981 Dec;3(2):95–180. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shelley W. B., Juhlin L. Langerhans cells form a reticuloepithelial trap for external contact antigens. Nature. 1976 May 6;261(5555):46–47. doi: 10.1038/261046a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Silberberg-Sinakin I., Fedorko M. E., Baer R. L., Rosenthal S. A., Berezowsky V., Thorbecke G. J. Langerhans cells: target cells in immune complex reactions. Cell Immunol. 1977 Aug;32(2):400–416. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(77)90216-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stingl G., Katz S. I., Clement L., Green I., Shevach E. M. Immunologic functions of Ia-bearing epidermal Langerhans cells. J Immunol. 1978 Nov;121(5):2005–2013. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stingl G., Tamaki K., Katz S. I. Origin and function of epidermal Langerhans cells. Immunol Rev. 1980;53:149–174. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1980.tb01043.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tamaki K., Katz S. I. Ontogeny of Langerhans cells. J Invest Dermatol. 1980 Jul;75(1):12–13. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12521037. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Toews G. B., Bergstresser P. R., Streilein J. W. Epidermal Langerhans cell density determines whether contact hypersensitivity or unresponsiveness follows skin painting with DNFB. J Immunol. 1980 Jan;124(1):445–453. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES