The capacity of murine alveolar macrophages to stimulate antigen-dependent T-lymphocyte activation and proliferation.
To define the antigen-presenting capacity of alveolar macrophages (AM phi), their ability to activate antigen-specific T cells was determined. It was found that AM phi s are at least as potent as spleen cells at presenting alloantigen or soluble protein antigen plus I-region determinant to cloned T-cell hybridomas. Activation of those hybridomas, shown by interleukin 2 (IL-2) secretion, further indicated the presence on AM phi s of functional products of the I-A and I-E subregions. In addition, it was found that AM phi s are at least as potent as spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages at inducing, in a restricted fashion, specific proliferation of primed, propagated lymph node T cells. AM phi s are thus potent accessory cells in vitro, whose in vivo significance in this capacity remains to be defined.
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006433:Hemocyanins; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D007376:Interleukin-2; D010047:Ovalbumin; D006433:Hemocyanins; C032808:keyhole-limpet hemocyanin