Polyclonal and antigen-specific responses of T cells and T cell subsets.
Evaluation of the functional responses of T cells is of importance in determining the mechanism(s) of immunodeficiency resulting from chronic alcohol abuse and other conditions that lead to immune dysfunction. Mice that are chronically exposed to 20% (w/v) ethanol in water develop immunodeficiency and have T cells with abnormal activation profiles, reduced total numbers, increased CD4/CD8 ratios, and an increased memory/naïve phenotype ratio. These cells also have abnormal antigen-specific responses after inoculation of the ethanol mice with model infectious organisms. Study of the functional abnormalities of these cells requires a reliable system that can present appropriate activation stimuli in vitro for the generation of polyclonal or antigen-specific responses in enriched or purified T cells, free of the influence of previously ethanol exposed accessory cells. In this chapter, we describe protocols to assess the T cell response to polyclonal stimulation through the T cell receptor and the use of a model infectious disease bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, that allows evaluation of the T-cell response to specific peptide epitopes of the bacterium after previous inoculation.
Young
Betty M
BM
Department of Pathology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Wiechert
Susan
S
Coleman
Ruth A
RA
Gurung
Prajwal
P
Cook
Robert T
RT
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000276:immunology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000637:transplantation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000637:transplantation; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
D000941:Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D000431:Ethanol