Abstract
Anergy, or T cell unresponsiveness to antigen, is one mechanism of T cell tolerance. However, the signaling events that lead to immune tolerance are not well understood. A common assumption is that soluble antigens, such as food antigens, are poor immunogens and induce tolerance because they fail to upregulate co-stimulatory molecules on the professional APC. Engagement of CD40 through a stimulatory antibody causes the upregulation of these costimulatory molecules. Using a CD4+ T cell adoptive transfer model specific to ovalbumin (OVA), we show that after upregulation of CD86 on APC through CD40 stimulation in vivo, T cells from OVA-fed mice remain refractory to proliferation, interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon (IFN)-γ production. We conclude that upregulation of CD86 alone does not inhibit oral tolerance induction of CD4+ T cells, indicating that additional signals are involved in the decision process for CD4+ T cells to commit to tolerance versus sensitization. Our data challenge the belief that reconstitution of a costimulatory signal in the presence of soluble antigen is sufficient to override T cell tolerance and anergy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 125-132 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Immunology Letters |
Volume | 84 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2002 |
Keywords
- Anergy
- CD40
- T lymphocytes
- Tolerance/suppression
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology