title: Termination of human T cell tolerance to histones by presentation of histones and polyomavirus T antigen provided that T antigen is complexed with nucleosomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether polyomavirus T antigen linked to histones through nucleosome-T antigen complexes has the potential to terminate histone-specific T cell anergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals were used as the source to establish T cell lines initiated and maintained by T antigen, histones, nucleosome-T antigen complexes, or nucleosomes. Proliferative responses of these lines to T antigen, histones, and nucleosomes were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whereas T cell lines could be established using T antigen or T antigen-nucleosome complexes, histones or nucleosomes did not have this potential. However, T cell lines selected by T antigen-nucleosome complexes responded subsequently to histones and nucleosomes. Identical results were obtained with murine and human nucleosomes, provided that they were complexed with T antigen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  T antigen-specific T cells possess the potential to proliferate when interacting with an antigen-presenting cell that presents T antigen. In the presence of T antigens complexed with nucleosomes, T antigen-specific T cells offer bystander help that may terminate histone-specific T cell anergy. These T cells may progress into functional, autoimmune T cells if histones are properly presented.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Andreassen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Moens
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nossent
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Marion
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Rekvig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006657:Histones / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000737:chemistry; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D006657:Histones; D009707:Nucleosomes