Heterogeneity of freshly isolated human tonsil dendritic cells demonstrated by intracellular markers, phagocytosis, and membrane dye transfer

Abstract

Freshly isolated CD11c(+) tonsil DCs are similar to CD14(+) macrophages in phagocytic function but the poorly phagocytic CD11c(-) DCs can also take up membrane from target cells. The intracellular markers commonly used to identify DCs and macrophages in situ do not identify accurately the CD11c(-) DC subset nor do they distinguish tonsil macrophages from DCs.