title: Accumulation of allo-MHC cross-reactive memory T cells in bone marrow.
abstract: The T cells in the bone marrow (BM) have recently been shown to be enriched with memory T cells. We investigated in this study the reactivity of minor-antigen specific memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced from the BM of in vivo primed mice using two different antigen systems. The antigen-specific CTLs could be efficiently induced from the BM of immunized mice. This CTL activity was not observed with naïve control mice, indicating that the activity was largely attributable to the memory T cells. Notably, these minor antigen specific CTLs showed cross-reactivity to allo-MHC antigens. Cold target inhibition analyses revealed that the same CTL populations were responsible for both anti-minor antigen and anti-allo-MHC reactivity. Taken collectively, these results not only confirmed functionally the enrichment of memory CTLs in the BM, but also indicated that such memory cells could cross-react with allo-MHC antigens. The possible role of these BM-resident memory T cells in the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayama
authors.forename: Nobukata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higashihara
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eshima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007519:Isoantigens; D051379:Mice; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000276:immunology*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D037182:T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance
chemical_list: D007519:Isoantigens; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens