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  • The EMBO Journal (2006) 25, 5560 - 5568
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7601415

Published online: 9 November 2006

Expression of the self-marker CD47 on dendritic cells governs their trafficking to secondary lymphoid organs

Vu Quang Van1,a, Sylvie Lesage1,a, Salim Bouguermouh1, Patrick Gautier1, Manuel Rubio1, Martin Levesque1, Sébastien Nguyen1, Laurent Galibert2 and Marika Sarfati1

  1. Immunoregulation Laboratory, CHUM Research Center, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  2. Serono Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Geneva, Switzerland

Correspondence to:

Marika Sarfati, Laboratoire Immunorégulation (M4211K), Centre de recherche du CHUM, 1560, rue Sherbrooke est, Montréal, Québec, Canada H2L 4M1. Tel.: +1 514 890 8000 (26701); Fax: +1 514 412 7652; E-mail: m.sarfati@umontreal.ca

aThese authors contributed equally to this work

Received 11 May 2006; Accepted 10 October 2006

Dendritic cells (DCs) capture and process Ag in the periphery. Thus, traffic through lymphatic vessels is mandatory before DCs relocate to lymph nodes where they are dedicated to T-cell priming. Here, we show that the ubiquitous self-marker CD47 selectively regulates DC, but not T and B cell trafficking across lymphatic vessels and endothelial barriers in vivo. We find an altered skin DC migration and impaired T-cell priming in CD47-deficient mice at steady state and under inflammatory conditions. Competitive DC migration assays and active immunization with myeloid DCs demonstrate that CD47 expression is required on DCs but not on the endothelium for efficient DC trafficking and T-cell responses. This migratory defect correlates with the quasi-disappearance of splenic marginal zone DCs in nonmanipulated CD47-deficient mice. Nonetheless, CCR7 expression and CCL19-driven chemotaxis remain intact. Our data reveal that CD47 on DCs is a critical factor in controlling migration and efficient initiation of the immune response.

  • Keywords:

    • CCR7,
    • CD47,
    • dendritic cell,
    • migration,
    • SIRP-alpha