Identification of heterogeneous subtypes of human dendritic cells from the lymph nodes of patients with gastric cancer
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Dong-A University , ,
- 23D Immune System Imaging Core Center, Ajou University , ,
- 3Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Ajou University , ,
- 4Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Dong-A University , ,
- 5Ajou Translational Omics Center (ATOC), Research Institute for Innovative Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center , ,
- 6Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ajou University , ,
Abstract
Objective: The subtypes of heterogeneous conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in lymph nodes (LN) cannot be distinguished because they share similar surface markers. This study aimed to identify cDCs, pDCs, and other cell types in DC-enriched LNs from patients with gastric cancer (GC) by analyzing surface markers and gene expression.
Methods: Expression of surface markers, including CD141, CD1c, and CD123, in DC-enriched cells was analyzed by conventional flow cytometry and AbSeq using antibody-derived tags. Transcriptome and epitope analyses were used to characterize DC subtypes. The frequencies of heterogeneous DC subtypes were compared across clinical stages and molecular subtypes in patients with GC.
Results: DC-enriched cells showed CD1c ⁺ CD141 ⁺ and CD141 ⁺ CD123 ⁺ populations. A clustering approach based on antibody-derived tags identified 17 clusters with single- and double-positive DC surface markers. Transcriptome and epitope analyses identified 26 clusters with distinct surface markers and gene expression profiles. DC lineages included subtypes distinct from the typical cDC1, cDC2, and pDC types. A proportion of CD1c-expressing cDC2 lineage cells expressed surface features characteristic of cDC1 and pDC, and CD1c expression was observed in cell types other than DC lineages. Differences in DC cluster frequencies across DC lineages were not detected as significant across clinical stages and molecular subtypes of GC. The mRNA expression pattern in the CD141 ⁺ cDC1 lineage distinguished it from the CD1c ⁺ cDC2 lineage and resolved different clusters with transitional states within both lineages. Transcripts related to DC maturation and migration were detected in a CD137-DC subtype, which highly expressed HLA-DR and CD137.
Conclusion: Cluster analysis of DC-enriched cells in LNs from our integrated dataset revealed subtypes of the cDC1, cDC2, and pDC lineages. We identified distinctive DC subtypes in the transitional state bridging differentiation between cDC1 and cDC2. CD137-DC may be an independent DC subset with mature and migratory features.
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BibTeX
@article{han2026identification,
title = {{Identification of heterogeneous subtypes of human dendritic cells from the lymph nodes of patients with gastric cancer}},
author = {Song-Hee Han and In-Jeong Lee and Hue Vy An Tran and Mi Ha Joo and Kwan Woo Kim and JungMo Kim and Seung Ho Kim and Hyun Goo Woo and Min Chan Kim and Jong-Young Kwak},
journal = {Frontiers in immunology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1912586},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672212},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Identification of heterogeneous subtypes of human dendritic cells from the lymph nodes of patients with gastric cancer
AU - Song-Hee Han
AU - In-Jeong Lee
AU - Hue Vy An Tran
AU - Mi Ha Joo
AU - Kwan Woo Kim
AU - JungMo Kim
AU - Seung Ho Kim
AU - Hyun Goo Woo
AU - Min Chan Kim
AU - Jong-Young Kwak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Frontiers in immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1912586
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672212
AB - Objective: The subtypes of heterogeneous conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in lymph nodes (LN) cannot be distinguished because they share similar surface markers. This study aimed to identify cDCs, pDCs, and other cell types in DC-enriched LNs from patients with gastric cancer (GC) by analyzing surface markers and gene expression. Methods: Expression of surface markers, including CD141, CD1c, and CD123, in DC-enriched cells was analyzed by conventional flow cytometry and AbSeq using antibody-derived tags. Transcriptome and epitope analyses were used to characterize DC subtypes. The frequencies of heterogeneous DC subtypes were compared across clinical stages and molecular subtypes in patients with GC. Results: DC-enriched cells showed CD1c ⁺ CD141 ⁺ and CD141 ⁺ CD123 ⁺ populations. A clustering approach based on antibody-derived tags identified 17 clusters with single- and double-positive DC surface markers. Transcriptome and epitope analyses identified 26 clusters with distinct surface markers and gene expression profiles. DC lineages included subtypes distinct from the typical cDC1, cDC2, and pDC types. A proportion of CD1c-expressing cDC2 lineage cells expressed surface features characteristic of cDC1 and pDC, and CD1c expression was observed in cell types other than DC lineages. Differences in DC cluster frequencies across DC lineages were not detected as significant across clinical stages and molecular subtypes of GC. The mRNA expression pattern in the CD141 ⁺ cDC1 lineage distinguished it from the CD1c ⁺ cDC2 lineage and resolved different clusters with transitional states within both lineages. Transcripts related to DC maturation and migration were detected in a CD137-DC subtype, which highly expressed HLA-DR and CD137. Conclusion: Cluster analysis of DC-enriched cells in LNs from our integrated dataset revealed subtypes of the cDC1, cDC2, and pDC lineages. We identified distinctive DC subtypes in the transitional state bridging differentiation between cDC1 and cDC2. CD137-DC may be an independent DC subset with mature and migratory features.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -