The lamina propria (LP) CD11c+ antigen-presenting cells directly sample the luminal contents and direct CD4+ T cells to differentiate into TH1, TH2 or TH17 cells (refs 1,2). Mouse CD11c+ LP cells consist of more than three subsets distinguished by different expression of cell surface markers, such as CD11b, CD70, CX3CR1, and CD103; and it has been reported that each subset has a distinct mission (refs 3-7).
This protocol details a method to isolate LP CD11c+ cells with high yield, viability and purity (see also ref. 8).