Figure 11. Skin DCs, but not Langerin⁺ DCs, critically contribute to endogenous killing responses induced by ovalbumin-coupled anti-DEC-205.

(A) C57BL/6 mice were immunized with 0.5μg OVA-coupled anti-DEC-205 (aDEC/OVA) per ear and treated with topically applied imiquimod cream. Where indicated (white bars), ears were cut off 4 hours after injection. One week later, target cells loaded with the MHC class I peptide SIINFEKL derived from OVA were injected intravenously. Percentages of specific lysis were measured one or two days later in skin-draining lymph nodes and in the blood, with similar results. (B) Langerin-DTR-EGFP mice were injected i.p. with diphtheria toxin (DT) or PBS. Two days later, the mice were immunized with 0.5μg aDEC/OVA per ear and treated with imiquimod (imiq.) or 25μg poly(I:C). The efficiency of cytotoxic responses was measured in the lymph nodes, as in (A), two days after target cells transfer. Results are pooled data from at least two experiments, with 3 to 4 mice per group.