Dermal microvascular endothelial cells express the 180-kDa macrophage mannose receptor in situ and in vitro.

Expression of the 180-kDa mannose receptor (MR) is mainly found on cells of the macrophage lineage. MR mediates the uptake of micro-organisms and host-derived glycoproteins. We demonstrate that endothelium of the human skin in situ and dermal microvascular endothelial cells (DMEC) in vitro expressed MR at both the protein and mRNA levels. In contrast, HUVEC were consistently negative for MR expression. DMEC internalized dextran as well as Escherichia coli by the way of MR into acidic phagosomes, only a few of which fused with CD63- and lysosomal-associated membrane glycoprotein-2-positive lysosomes. This contrasts with the situation in monocyte-derived dendritic cells, where almost all of the MR-Ag complexes reached CD63- and lysosomal-associated membrane glycoprotein-2-positive compartments, indicating differences in the phagolysosomal fusion rate between DMEC and dendritic cells. In conclusion, DMEC express functional MR, a finding that corroborates a role of skin endothelium in Ag capture/clearing.