title: Polyclonal B-cell stimulation by T-cells in a parasitic disease.
abstract: Polyclonal B-cell stimulation resulting in B-cell proliferation and antibody production occurs in many infectious diseases. Here, we review our data showing that CD4-positive T-cells are instrumental for such polyclonal B-cell stimulation in a chronic parasitic infection, namely murine cutaneous leishmaniasis. The mechanism used by the T-cells involves a membrane interaction between B-cells and activated T-cells which can take place in the absence of antigen, as well as the action of lymphokines such as IL-4. The membrane interaction does not seem to involve the CD4 molecule on T-cells and MHC class II molecules on B-cells, as it is the case in cognate interaction during antigen-specific stimulation of B-cells by CD4 positive T-helper cells. Whether or not adhesion molecules, e.g. of the integrin family, play a role in the triggering process, is currently under investigation.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lohoff
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Röllinghoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000276:immunology; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens