Cutting Edge: Identification of the Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin-Responsive Dendritic Cell Subset Critical for Initiation of Type 2 Contact Hypersensitivity

The cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) has been implicated in the initiation and progression of allergic inflammation through its ability to activate dendritic cells (DCs). However, the identity of the DC subset that responds to TSLP is not known. In this study we use a CCL17 reporter strain to identify the TSLP-responsive DC subset. In vitro, TSLP induced CD11b(high) DCs to express CCL17, to increase CCR7-mediated migration activity, and to drive Th2 differentiation of naive CD4 T cells. In vivo, following skin sensitization, we found that a subset of Ag-bearing CCL17(+)CD11b(high) migratory DCs, but not Ag-bearing CCL17(-) migratory DCs, in skin lymph nodes were capable of driving Th2 differentiation and were dramatically reduced in TSLPR-deficient mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that TSLP activated a subset of CD11b(+) DCs in the skin to produce CCL17, upregulate CCR7, and migrate to the draining lymph node to initiate Th2 differentiation.