CD4+ T cell polarization in mice is modulated by strain-specific major histocompatibility complex-independent differences within dendritic cells.

Resistance and susceptibility to Leishmania major in mice are determined by multiple genes and correlate with the preferential development of Th1 and Th2 responses, respectively. Here, we found that CD11b+ dendritic cells (DCs) prime parasite-specific CD4+ T cells in both susceptible BALB/c (H2-d) and resistant B10.D2 (H2-d) mice. However, BALB/c and B10.D2 DCs from L. major-infected mice differ in their ability to polarize naive T cells into Th1 or Th2 effector cells. This difference is cell-intrinsic, is not restricted to H2-d mice, and is observed with both parasite-specific and allospecific CD4+ T cells. Thus, strain-specific differences within CD11b+ DCs influence the ability of inbred mice to mount polarized CD4+ T cell responses.