Figure 9: Circulating slanDCs from CCR patients remain intact in terms of number and functional properties.

(a) CCR-derived slanDCs and healthy donor-derived slanDCs, CD1c⁺ DCs, pDCs, CD14⁺ monocytes were co-incubated for 18 h with apoptotic bodies derived from the indicated colon adenocarcinoma cell lines at 1:3 ratio. Graph shows the net phagocytosis by each cell type calculated as it follows: % of phagocytosing cells at 37 °C—% of phagocytosing cells at 4 °C (mean±s.d.; n=4). Statistical significance, by one-way ANOVA, is also indicated: a versus b, P<0.001; a versus c, P<0.05. (b,c) Quantification of circulating pDCs and slanDCs (mean±s.d.) in young (n=18–23; age mean=37; age range=22–51) and old (n=10–11; age mean=76; age range=68–86) healthy donors, as well as CCR-bearing patients (n=10–12; age mean=73; age range=53–86), further divided into two groups according to their staging (I-IIs=stages I and II; III-IV_s=stages III and IV). Symbols stand for: **P<0.01; *P<0.05, by Student’s t-test of unpaired samples. (d–f) Graphs show the percentage (mean±s.d.) of TNFα- (d, n=4–7), IL-12p70- (e, n=3–4) producing slanDCs and IFNα-producing pDCs (f, n=3–4) by resting and stimulated PBMC from healthy donors or CCR-bearing patients. % of cytokine- secreting cells was calculated on live M-DC8⁺ slanDC- or CD303⁺ pDC-gated cells. (g,h) Graphs report the percentage of proliferating autologous CD4⁺ T cells (g) or allogeneic CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T cells (h) cultured for 7 days with healthy donor- or CCR patient-derived slanDCs in the presence (g) or the absence (h) of tetanus toxoid (mean±s.d.; n=3–4).