Regulation of murine dendritic cell immune responses by Helicobacter felis antigen.

Helicobacter infections are present in approximately 50% of humans, causing severe illnesses such as gastritis and malignancies. Dendritic cells (DC) are critical antigen-presenting cells which link innate and adaptive immune responses. The mechanism of dendritic cell regulation in Helicobacter-induced gastritis is poorly understood. These studies characterized DC isolated from the lamina propria of Helicobacter-infected mice and analyzed innate and adaptive immune responses elicited by Helicobacter antigen (Ag)-pulsed DC. The presence of DC was elevated in the gastric lamina propria infiltrate of infected mice in comparison with controls. After treatment with Helicobacter felis Ag, DC were polarized to secrete interleukin-6 as the dominant cytokine. In the presence of DC and Helicobacter Ag, responder allogeneic T cells in culture exhibited limited cell division. We suggest that the response of DC and T cells to Helicobacter Ag is critical to the chronic persistence of Helicobacter-induced gastritis.