Hachiro TAGAMI

CD80(B7-1) and CD86(B7-2) co-stimulatory molecules have been reported to activate Th1/Th2 development pathways differentially. It is well known that Langerhans cells (LC), potent antigen-presenting dendritic cells in the epidermis, express several co-stimulatory molecules and that this expression is modulated by several cytokines. Based on the recently reported effect of interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL-)-10 on the expression of CD80 and CD86 by LC, we examined the effects of ...

Previous studies have demonstrated that haptens induce several phenotypic and functional changes of dendritic cells in vivo as well as in vitro. Although recently, the crucial role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase has been reported in the activation of dendritic cells by haptens, the signal transduction elements involved in each phenotypic and functional changes that occur in the activation of dendritic cells by haptens remain unknown. Therefore, we examined the role of ...

BACKGROUND: Dermatologists and cosmetic scientists are becoming increasingly interested in stratum corneum (SC) hydration because the SC plays an important role in keeping the skin surface soft and smooth. However, conventional in vivo noninvasive methods do not provide direct information about the depth profiles of water content or SC components that hold water.

OBJECTIVES: To study the depth profiles of water and SC components in vivo by Raman spectroscopy, and to analyse the changes ...

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor has not been considered as a factor responsible for dendritic cell or Langerhans cell development from hematopoietic progenitor cells. In this study, we examined whether macrophage colony-stimulating factor could be used instead of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for the in vitro development of Langerhans cells from hematopoietic progenitor cells. We replaced granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor with macrophage ...

After application of haptens to the skin, Langerhans cells (LC), i.e. immature dendritic cells (DC) in the skin, move to secondary lymphoid organs to sensitize naive T cells. During this process, LC become mature DC with augmented expression of various co-stimulatory molecules and MHC class II antigens. In this scenario, however, critical questions remain as to what kind of chemicals can induce this maturation process through what kind of mechanisms. To clarify these questions, we used ...

Human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) obtained from peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) cultured with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) can be activated in vitro by a variety of simple chemicals such as haptens and several metals. Recently, it has been demonstrated that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) can induce further differentiation of MoDCs to the cells that share some characteristics with epidermal Langerhans ...

It has been reported that the in vivo maturation of Langerhans cells after hapten painting is mediated by IL-1 beta while Langerhans cell maturation after in vitro culture is mediated by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). To clarify the reason for this discrepancy, we examine the expression of Ia antigen and several co-stimulatory molecules on Langerhans cells that were activated by in vitro culture, by hapten painting, or by an intradermal injection of several ...

After hapten application, epidermal Langerhans cells migrate into the regional lymph nodes through dermal lymphatics. Recently, we have demonstrated that some of them take the phenotypic and functional characteristics similar to those of in vitro cultured Langerhans cells, before disappearing from the epidermis. To analyze the mechanisms underlying the migration of Langerhans cells, we studied the expression of several adhesion molecules on freshly isolated LC and cultured LC. Pgp-1 ...

Lipid peroxide levels, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the development of tanning in the skin of C57 BL/6 mice were assessed for long periods, from very early to late stages, after acute or chronic UVB irradiation. Acute UVB irradiation produced an increase in lipid peroxide levels that peaked 18 h after irradiation, after which the levels declined to a minimum 2–3 days after irradiation and then gradually rose to baseline. ...

The skin is a unique organ that contains two different subsets of dendritic cells, i.e., Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells. Our hypothesis is that cutaneous fibroblasts may affect the development of these dendritic cells. We cocultured cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells with several human cutaneous fibroblast cell lines without any exogenous cytokines for 3 wk. In this culture, hematopoietic progenitor cells increased in number from 20.1 +/- 2.4 times, and produced ...

Although ultraviolet B (UVB) induces apoptosis and functional perturbations in dendritic cells (DC), for example, Langerhans cells (LC), it also stimulates some LC into maturation after irradiation in vivo. To analyze its reciprocal effects on DC, we elucidated the direct effect of UVB on DC in vitro using human monocyte-derived DC (MoDC). UVB from 50 to 200 J per m2 stimulated the maturation of MoDC with (1) augmented expression of CD86 and HLA-DR, (2) enhanced production of IL-1beta, ...

This study revealed that the absence of histamine in histidine decarboxylase gene-knockout (HDC(-/-)) mice resulted in delayed cutaneous wound healing and that exogenously administered histamine compensated this process. With the overproduction of histamine in HDC gene-transgenic mice, the healing was accelerated compared to the HDC(+/+) mice. These results indicate that histamine positively accelerated the cutaneous wound healing. Macrophage recruitment and angiogenesis at the wound ...

Skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and senile xerosis show a tendency to exacerbate in winter. We investigated the seasonal influence on the functional parameters of the skin in healthy female volunteers of different age groups. Biophysical noninvasive measurements, including transepidermal water loss (TEWL) as a parameter for the barrier function of the stratum corneum (SC), high-frequency conductance as a parameter for the hydration state of the SC, temperature, color ...

Objective: To characterize the functional properties of the stratum corneum (SC) of various scars.Design: A prospective cohort study.Setting: University hospital medical center.Patients: Thirty-two consecutive patients surgically treated for various skin diseases and 26 consecutive patients with hypertrophic scars or keloids.Main Outcome Measures: Noninvasive bioengineering measurements of functional properties of the SC, such as transepidermal water loss (TEWL), high-frequency ...

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) shows dry skin. Water-soluble, low molecular weight components, collectively known as natural moisturizing factor (NMF), play an important role in maintaining the stratum corneum (SC) hydration. Previous studies focused on reduced levels of free amino acids (FAAs) in NMF from AD skin. It remains unknown, however, whether other NMF components are also altered in AD.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the levels of various NMF components in the SC of healthy ...