A Role for Endogenous Transforming Growth Factor β1 in Langerhans Cell Biology: The Skin of Transforming Growth Factor β1 Null Mice Is Devoid of Epidermal Langerhans Cells

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) regulates leukocytes and epithelial cells. To determine whether the pleiotropic effects of TGF-β1, a cytokine that is produced by both keratinocytes and Langerhans cells (LC), extend to epidermal leukocytes, we characterized LC (the epidermal contingent of the dendritic cell [DC] lineage) and dendritic epidermal T cells (DETC) in TGF-β1 null (TGF-β1 −/−) mice. I-A+ LC were not detected in epidermal cell suspensions or epidermal sheets prepared from TGF-β1 −/− mice, and epidermal cell suspensions were devoid of allostimulatory activity. In contrast, TCR-γδ+ DETC were normal in number and appearance in TGF-β1 −/− mice and, importantly, DETC represented the only leukocytes in the epidermis. Immunolocalization studies revealed CD11c+ DC in lymph nodes from TGF-β1 −/− mice, although gp40+ DC were absent. Treatment of TGF-β1 −/− mice with rapamycin abrogated the characteristic inflammatory wasting syndrome and prolonged survival indefinitely, but did not result in population of the epidermis with LC. Thus, the LC abnormality in TGF-β1 −/− mice is not a consequence of inflammation in skin or other organs, and LC development is not simply delayed in these animals. We conclude that endogenous TGF-β1 is essential for normal murine LC development or epidermal localization.