title: The specific T-cell response to antigenic peptides is influenced by bystander peptides.
abstract: T lymphocytes recognize antigens in the form of peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on the cell surface. Only a small proportion of MHC class I and class II molecules are loaded with foreign antigenic peptides; the vast majority are loaded with thousands of different self peptides. It was suggested that MHC molecules presenting self peptides may serve either to decrease (antagonistic effect) or increase (synergistic effect) the T cell response to a specific antigen. Here, we present our finding that transfected mouse fibroblasts presenting a single antigenic peptide covalently bound to a class II MHC molecule stimulated specific mouse T cell hybridoma cells to an interleukin-2 response less efficiently than fibroblasts presenting a similar amount of antigenic peptide in the presence of class II molecules loaded with heterogenous bystander peptides.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Department of Clinical Immunology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pajtasz-Piasecka
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chmielowski
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ignatowicz
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuśnierczyk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D024201:Bystander Effect / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens