Differential regulation of splenic CD8- dendritic cells and marginal zone B cells by Notch ligands.

The importance of Notch signaling to maintain CD8- dendritic cells (DCs) in the spleen has recently been revealed. However, the ligand responsible for this Notch signaling has not been determined yet. In this study, we demonstrated that blocking of Delta-like (Dll) 1 alone had no significant effect on the maintenance of CD8- DCs while marginal zone (MZ) B cells were significantly reduced in the spleen of mice. On the other hand, blocking of Dll1, Dll4, Jagged1 and Jagged2 significantly decreased CD8- DCs. All these Notch ligands are expressed predominantly in the red pulp of the spleen where CD8- DCs reside. These results indicate a differential regulation of CD8- DCs and MZ B cells by Notch ligands in the spleen.