Extraction of human Langerhans cells: a method for isolation of epidermis-resident dendritic cells

V Pena-Cruz, S Ito, M Oukka, K Yoneda… - Journal of …, 2001 - Elsevier
Langerhans cells (LCs) are immature dendritic cells in the epidermis that play a central role
in T-lymphocyte mediated skin immunity. Upon activation with antigenic stimuli, they
differentiate drastically into mature dendritic cells while migrating from the epidermis to
regional lymph nodes. Thus, in order to study biological details of immature LCs, it is crucial
to isolate epidermis-resident, immature LCs without dermal dendritic cell contamination.
Methods for extracting LCs from human skin as well as in vitro derivation of LC-like cells …