The human in vitro anti-type 4 pneumococcal polysaccharide antibody response is regulated by suppressor T cells.
In order to study the regulation of the human B-cell response to T-cell independent type 2 (TI-2) antigens, we analysed the role of T cells in the in vitro antibody response to type 4 pneumococcal polysaccharide (PS4). We found that T cells can positively regulate the in vitro antibody response to PS4 when they are added into an in vitro B-cell culture system. In addition we demonstrated that T cells exert a negatively regulating activity. We found that T cells, when cultured for 24 h in the presence of high concentrations of PS4, can suppress the anti-PS4 antibody response. This down-regulation of the anti-PS4 B-cell response is shown to be antigen specific and MHC-restricted. Furthermore, PS4-specific T-cell mediated suppression appears to be radioresistant and confined to the T-cell preparations enriched for CD8+ cells. The results show that analogous to results obtained in mice, human T cells are able to exert a regulatory control of the antibody response to TI-2 antigens.
Griffioen
A W
AW
Department of Immunology, University Children's Hospital Het Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Rijkers
G T
GT
Toebes
E A
EA
Zegers
B J
BJ
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial