title: Co-stimulation and plaque-antigen-specific T-cell responses in atherosclerosis.
abstract: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, and T-cell-mediated immune responses to plaque antigens are a prominent component of the inflammatory process. In addition to antigen stimulation, T-cell responses require co-stimulatory signals, the best defined of which are delivered by B7 family molecules on antigen-presenting cells binding to CD28 on T cells. T-cell co-stimulation directly influences the CD40/CD154 immunoregulatory pathway, which is well known to influence atherosclerosis. This review discusses recent progress in understanding the role of B7 family molecules in atherosclerosis, and T-cell co-stimulation as an important link between innate immunity and adaptive immune responses to plaque antigens.
authors.affiliation: Center for Excellence in Vascular Biology and The Immunology Research Division, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buono
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lichtman
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000502:physiology; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000502:physiology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7