title: Defective Th1 and Th2 cytokine synthesis in the T-T cell presentation model for lack of CD40/CD40 ligand interaction.
abstract: In this study, T or NK cell clones used as antigen-presenting cells (T- or NK-APC) were shown to be significantly less efficient than professional APC in inducing Th1 and Th2 cytokines by antigen-specific T cell clones. This phenomenon was not related to a limited engagement of TCR by T-APC, since comparable thresholds of TCR down-regulation were shown when antigen was presented by either T-APC or professional APC. Rather, the stimulatory T-APC weakness was due to their inability, because they are CD40-, to provide the appropriate co-stimuli to responder T cells both indirectly via IL-12, and partially via direct CD40L triggering on T cells. Indeed, the simultaneous addition of IL-12 and reagents directly engaging CD40L on responder T cells restored T cell cytokine synthesis when antigen was presented by T-APC. In addition, either IL-12 production or blocking of T cell cytokine synthesis by anti-IL-12 p75 antibodies was evident only when professional APC were used in our antigen-specific system. The down-regulation of cytokine synthesis in the system of T-T cell presentation could represent a novel mechanism of immune regulation, which may intervene to switch off detrimental Th1- or Th2-mediated responses induced by antigen presentation among activated T cells infiltrating inflamed tissues.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Andrea Cesalpino, Istituto di Clinica Medica, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Vita
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Accapezzato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mangino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morrone
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Santilio
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Casciaro
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Del Prete
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoni
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barnaba
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000502:physiology; D018122:B7-1 Antigen / Q000502:physiology; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000502:physiology*; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D019013:CD40 Antigens; C497964:CD86 protein, human; D016207:Cytokines; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D018664:Interleukin-12