title: Regulatory role of CD4+ T cells during the development of contact hypersensitivity responses.
abstract: Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a T cell-mediated immune response to cutaneous sensitization and subsequent challenge with haptens such as dinitrofluorobenzene and oxazolone. Many aspects concerning the development and regulation of CHS remain unknown. Using CHS as a model of T cell-mediated immune responses to antigens deposited in the skin we have studied the development and function of effector and regulatory T cell components of this response. These studies have revealed the effector role of hapten-specific CD8+ T cells in this response. In contrast, hapten-specific CD4+ T cells negatively regulate the magnitude and duration of the response. In this article we propose a model in which the CD4+ T cell compartment regulates the development of effector CD8+ T cells during sensitization for CHS and discuss potential mechanisms that CD4+ T cells might utilize to mediate this regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Gorbachev
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Fairchild
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018448:Models, Immunological