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Forced Contact between Antigen‐Presenting Cells and T Cells: Consequences for T‐Cell Activation
Author(s) -
HÖIDÉN I.,
CLINCHY B.,
MÖLLER G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1989.tb02453.x
Subject(s) - antigen presenting cell , antigen , t cell receptor , t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , t lymphocyte , cd40 , cytotoxic t cell , il 2 receptor , cd28 , chemistry , biology , immunology , cd8 , immune system , in vitro , biochemistry
It is still not known how T cells ire activated, which T‐cell surface structures transmit activation signals, and if antigen‐presenting cells possess activation structures for T cells. We have studied whether the T‐cell receptor (TcR) must be engaged for T‐cell activation to occur. By using membrane‐incorporated monoclonal antibodies, we artificially forced T‐cell to bind to antigen‐presenting cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction system and thereby bypassed the need for TcR engagement and also made it possible for any surface molecule on antigen‐presenting cells to deliver a stimulatory signal to the T cells. Theoretically, T cells would become polyclonally activated by this procedure. However, we found that they did not, even though they were intimately bound to the antigen‐presenting cell, thus demonstrating that the TcR must participate in antigen/MHC binding in order for the T cells in become activated. This study does not exclude the possibility that antigen‐presenting cells possess structures that can activate T cells.