The production of splenic DC populations by lymphoid-restricted precursors.

Purified Ly 5.2⁺ BM CLPs or the thymic CD4^lowprecursors (1 to 2 × 10⁴) were injected IV into lethally irradiated Ly 5.1 recipients. At various times after precursor cell transfer, DCs were enriched from the recipient spleen and stained with fluorescent-conjugated antibodies to Ly 5.2 and to DC markers CD11c, CD4, and CD8α. Donor-derived DCs were revealed by the expression of Ly 5.2 and CD11c. The phenotype of donor-derived DCs were determined on the basis of the CD4 and CD8α expression on the Ly 5.2⁺CD11c⁺ cells. (A) Examples of the phenotype of precursor-derived DCs 2 weeks after IV transfer of CLPs or the CD4^low precursors. (B) The absolute number of each donor-derived DC population was calculated and expressed per 10⁴ cells transferred for each time point, and these are presented here in a kinetic manner. The data presented here are the means of 2 to 3 such experiments at each time point, and each experimental group included 3 mice.