Comments on the isolation and enrichment of human Langerhans cells for use in immunological studies

The described procedures can be used for the isolation and enrichment of human Langerhans cells, and for the identification of the relative number of such cells in the cell suspensions obtained. Our own group has now successfully used such cells to demonstrate that stimulation of allogeneic lymphocyte proliferation by epidermal cell suspensions can be specifically attributed to the Langerhans cells [11, 12]. Furthermore, studies of this and other possible Langerhans cell immunological functions of the skin will contribute to the general understanding of immunological diseases of the skin and of the role these cells may play in the initiation of graft versus host disease in patients receiving therapeutic allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.