Human dendritic cell subsets in NOD/SCID mice engrafted with CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors.

Distinct human dendritic cell (DC) subsets differentially control immunity. Thus, insights into their in vivo functions are important to understand the launching and modulation of immune responses. We show that nonobese diabetic/LtSz-scid/scid (NOD/SCID) mice engrafted with human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors develop human myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. The skin displays immature DCs expressing Langerin, while other tissues display interstitial DCs. Myeloid DCs from these mice induce proliferation of allogeneic CD4 T cells in vitro, and bone marrow human cells containing plasmacytoid DCs release interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) upon influenza virus exposure. Injection of influenza virus into reconstituted mice triggers IFN-alpha release and maturation of mDCs. Thus, these mice may provide a model to study the pathophysiology of human DC subsets.