Nature Immunology2, 932 - 938 (2001)
Published online: 17 September 2001; | doi:10.1038/ni711
Dendritic cells signal T cells in the absence of exogenous antigen
Takayuki Kondo1, 4, Irene Cortese1, 4, Silva Markovic-Plese1, Klaus-Peter Wandinger1, Charles Carter2, Martin Brown3, Susan Leitman2
& Roland Martin1
1
Cellular Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1400, USA.
2
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
3
Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Interactions with self−major histocompatibility complex molecules on dendritic cells (DCs) are important for the survival of mature CD4+ T cells. We have followed the DC-mediated signal from the T cell surface to the nucleus and identified a pattern of activation that correlates with increased in vitro survival. This response is induced exclusively by DCs and is likely associated with a modulation of the T cell activation threshold. We have also found that DC-mediated activation results in antigen-independent cytokine gene expression, which points to a new role for DCs in shaping the cytokine milieu. Such antigen-independent activation of T cells may play a role in protective immunity, but may also induce and perpetuate autoimmune states such as multiple sclerosis.
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated
REFERENCE Immunoregulation Nature Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences
1 and Ras activation
