Table 1.
Immunohistochemical markers to identify DCs in human plaques.
| Marker | DC type | References | Pitfalls | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fascin (p55) | Immature/mature DCs; DC specific in early plaque stages | [7, 59, 62, 65, 66, 68, 69, 73–77] | Capillary ECs, migrating vascular cells in plaque shoulders and advanced plaques | [69, 77] |
| S100 (S100B and weakly S100A1) | Immature/mature DCs; DC specific in normal intima and all plaque stages | [7, 7, 56, 59, 61, 65, 68, 69, 77–79] | Nerve bundles and twigs in adventitia | [7, 56, 59, 69] |
| Langerin | Selectively expressed on the surface and in Birbeck granules of Langerhans cells | [60, 69] | Very few cells | [60, 69] |
| CD1a | Mature DCs | [68, 74, 78, 80] | CD14+, CD68+ foam cells | [69, 81] |
| CD83 | Mature DCs | [65–67] | Aspecific staining due to signal amplification? Activated T cells and monocytes? | [63, 69] |
| DC-SIGN (CD209) | Immature/mature DCs | [63, 64] | Macrophages | [63] |
| DC-LAMP (CD208) | Mature DCs | [65] | ||
| BDCA-1 (CD1c) | mDC | [26, 68, 69] | B cells | [23] |
| BDCA-2 (CD303) | pDC precursor | [26, 68, 69] | [23, 38] | |
| CD11c | mDCs | [71–73] | CD14+ monocytes and CD68+ macrophages | [69] |
| CD123 | pDCs | [70–73] | ECs, microvessels in advanced plaques, and plaque shoulders | [69] |
DC: dendritic cells, EC: endothelial cell, pDC: plasmacytoid DC, mDC: myeloid DC.