IL-4 alone without the involvement of GM-CSF transforms human peripheral blood monocytes to a CD1a(dim), CD83(+) myeloid dendritic cell subset.

Myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) are conventionally generated by culturing human peripheral blood monocytes in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. Here we report that IL-4 alone, in the absence of detectable endogenous GM-CSF, transforms human peripheral blood monocytes to a CD1a(dim) DC subset that could be matured to CD83(+) DCs. Absence of endogenous GM-CSF in IL-4-DC was demonstrated by RT-PCR and flow cytometry. With the exception of CD1a expression, surface marker, morphology and phagocytic activity of these DCs (IL-4-DC) were similar to myeloid DCs (GM-IL-4-DC) conventionally generated in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. Conventional GM-IL-4-DC produced less IL-12 compared with IL-4-DC after stimulation with anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody, or LPS plus IFN-gamma, although the difference was more prominent when LPS plus IFN-gamma was used as the stimulus. The GM-IL-4-DC also induced less frequent IFN-gamma(+) T cells in a mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) than that of IL-4-DC. Yields of IL-4-DCs were marginally lower than that of GM-IL-4-DCs. Our data indicate that peripheral blood monocytes can be transformed to CD1a-deficient myeloid DCs solely by IL-4, and these IL-4-DCs are likely to induce a stronger Th1 response than conventional GM-IL-4-DCs.