Antigen-presenting properties of gingival fibroblasts in chronic adult periodontitis.
Chronic periodontitis is characterized by dense infiltrations of T lymphocytes in the connective tissue, which consists mainly of gingival fibroblasts. It is becoming increasingly clear that T lymphocytes and gingival fibroblasts are capable of influencing each other. For example, the T cell cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is able to induce MHC class II molecules on the surface of several cell types, including gingival fibroblasts. Histological sections of chronically inflamed gingival tissue showed a great number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that produced IFN-gamma, and in addition showed abundant expression of MHC class II molecules on gingival fibroblasts. Therefore, we investigated whether these gingival fibroblasts acquire the capacity to carry out MHC class II-restricted functions such as antigen presentation to local T cells. In this study, we show that IFN-gamma-treated gingival fibroblasts were able to function as antigen-presenting cells (APC) for superantigen-mediated T cell proliferation. However, these fibroblasts failed to present whole-cell antigens of periodontitis-associated bacteria. Moreover, gingival fibroblasts inhibited the presentation of the whole-cell antigens of these bacteria by professional APC. This inhibition could be overcome by the addition of IL-2. These results suggest that gingival fibroblasts play an important role in the local specific immune response in chronic inflammatory periodontal lesions by regulating the response of infiltrating T cells.
Wassenaar
A
A
Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Snijders
A
A
Abraham-Inpijn
L
L
Kapsenberg
M L
ML
Kievits
F
F
D000328:Adult; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000187:drug effects; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000276:immunology; D005881:Gingiva / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D018089:Superantigens; D007371:Interferon-gamma