Thymic Dendritic Cell Subsets Display Distinct Efficiencies and Mechanisms of Intercellular MHC Transfer [IMMUNE REGULATION]

Thymic dendritic cells (DC) delete self-antigen–specific thymocytes, and drive development of Foxp3-expressing immunoregulatory T cells. Unlike medullary thymic epithelial cells, which express and present peripheral self-antigen, DC must acquire self-antigen to mediate thymic negative selection. One such mechanism entails the transfer of surface MHC–self peptide complexes from medullary thymic epithelial cells to thymic DC. Despite the importance of thymic DC cross-dressing in negative selection, the factors that regulate the process and the capacity of different thymic DC subsets to acquire MHC and stimulate thymocytes are poorly understood. In this study intercellular MHC transfer by thymic DC subsets was investigated using an MHC-mismatch–based in vitro system. Thymic conventional DC (cDC) subsets signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα⁺) and CD8α⁺ readily acquired MHC class I and II from thymic epithelial cells but plasmacytoid DC were less efficient. Intercellular MHC transfer was donor-cell specific; thymic DC readily acquired MHC from TEC plus thymic or splenic DC, whereas thymic or splenic B cells were poor donors. Furthermore DC origin influenced cross-dressing; thymic versus splenic DC exhibited an increased capacity to capture TEC-derived MHC, which correlated with direct expression of EpCAM by DC. Despite similar capacities to acquire MHC–peptide complexes, thymic CD8α⁺ cDC elicited increased T cell stimulation relative to SIRPα⁺ cDC. DC cross-dressing was cell-contact dependent and unaffected by lipid raft disruption of donor TEC. Furthermore, blocking PI3K signaling reduced MHC acquisition by thymic CD8α⁺ cDC and plasmacytoid DC but not SIRPα⁺ cDC. These findings demonstrate that multiple parameters influence the efficiency of and distinct mechanisms drive intercellular MHC transfer by thymic DC subsets.

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