title: B cells turn off virgin but not memory T cells.
abstract: There are three possible outcomes when a T cell recognizes a cell bearing a self or foreign antigen. (i) The T cell is not sufficiently signaled and is unaffected. (ii) The T cell is activated. (iii) The T cell is turned off. The differentiation state of the T cell is critical to the outcome. Although both virgin and memory T cells can be activated by antigens presented by "professional" antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells, they differ in their responses to B cells. Experienced T cells respond to antigen presented by B cells, whereas virgin T cells are rendered tolerant. These findings may relate to the phenomena of low- and high-zone tolerance, neonatal tolerance, and the beneficial effect of blood transfusions on allograft survival.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Matzinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006182:H-Y Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007114:Immunization; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006182:H-Y Antigen; D007519:Isoantigens