Dendritic cells procedures

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is a form of pher-esis therapy that has proven effective in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. After oral administration of methoxsalen, leukocytes are separated from whole blood using an ECP device and then exposed to UVA radiation. The irradiated cells then are returned to the patient. Multiple mechanisms probably contribute to the effectiveness of this procedure. ECP simultaneously and efficiently induces apoptosis of disease-causing T-cells and conversion of monocytes to functional dendritic cells by processing and presenting the unique antigenic determinants of pathogenic T-cell clones, the dendritic cells either initiate a clinically relevant anticutaneous T-cell lymphoma cytotoxic response or suppress the activity of autoreactive T-cell clones. 

We described details of procedures for real-time imaging of adoptively transferred B cells visualized with fluorescent dyes in the inguinal lymph node. This method can also be used to observe behavior of other immune cells (T lymphocytes, dendritic and follicular dendritic cells, etc.) under a variety of experimental conditions. 

The chromophores are aggregated into a liquid crystalline stmcture wherein they are able to conduct the excited electrons resulting from photoexcitation at a given location to a second location where they are de-excited in the process (developed in Chapter 11) of generating a signal within the dendrites of the photoreceptor cells. The chromophores of vision are produced in the RPE cells of the retina and not in the photoreceptor cells as conventionally assumed. This complex procedure is developed in Chapter 7. 

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