Open AccessMicroglial cells qualify as the stimulators of unprimed CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes in the central nervous system
Author(s) -
CASH E.,
ROTT O.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1994.tb06143.x
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , microglia , immunology , antigen presenting cell , biology , cd8 , t cell , interleukin 21 , natural killer t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , population , antigen , immune system , in vitro , medicine , inflammation , biochemistry , environmental health
SUMMARY The potential of central nervous system (CNS)‐derived cells for initiating T cell responses is not known. Using the capacity of unprimed T cells to respond to allogeneic determinants on antigen presenting cells (APC). we assessed the ability of microglial cells lo act as stimulators of primary T cell responses in vitro. For this purpose, microglial cells were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), or by phagocytosis of progenitor oligodendrocytes and subsequently tested for their ability to induce a proliferative response of naive, resting T cells. Activated microglial cells induced a significant proliferation of virgin, alloreactive CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes, with a more substantial response of highly purified CD4 + than of CD8 + expressing T cells. Phagocytosis activation was the most efficient stimulus to induce this APC competence on microglial cells. By contrast. IFN‐γ pretreated. MHC‐expressing astrocytes were unable to induce similar responses of alloreactive CD4 + or CD8 + T cells under the same experimental conditions. Collectively, our data suggest the role of activated microglia as the fully immunocompetent accessory cell population of the CNS.