Morphology of CD11b⁻ and CD11b⁺DCs freshly after sorting or after 24 hours of CD40 activation in culture.

(A) CD11b⁻ DCs exhibit dendrites immediately on isolation and rapidly cluster. (B) A closer view shows that CD11b⁻DCs display a typical dendritic morphology. (C) After CD40 activation, CD11b⁻ DCs form large, tight clusters of cells displaying long dendrites. (D) (E) Freshly isolated CD11b⁺ DCs do not adhere to glass or plastic and display a “hairy” morphology. (F) After CD40 activation, CD11b⁺ DCs form small clusters of cells exhibiting dendrites. Original magnification: 20 × (panels A, D, C, and F); 40 × (panels B and E).