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Activated human epitope-specific T cells identified by class II tetramers reside within a CD4high, proliferating subset

Novak, Erik J. ; Masewicz, Susan A. ; Liu, Andrew W. ; Lernmark, Åke LU orcid ; Kwok, William W. and Nepom, Gerald T (2001) In International Immunology 13(6). p.799-806
Abstract

Antigen-specific T cells acquire a distinctive phenotype during activation, with characteristic acquisition of surface markers and patterns of gene expression. Early after antigen stimulation, CD4+ T lymphocytes increase their surface density of the CD4 marker, a trait which has been used to identify antigen-activated cells. The recent development of MHC tetramer technologies has greatly improved the ability to detect HLA class I-restricted T cells specific for known antigen epitopes. We have recently extended these studies to human class II-restricted CD4+ T cell responses and now describe antigen-specific T cell responses from human peripheral blood in which elevated CD4 expression levels in human T cells... (More)

Antigen-specific T cells acquire a distinctive phenotype during activation, with characteristic acquisition of surface markers and patterns of gene expression. Early after antigen stimulation, CD4+ T lymphocytes increase their surface density of the CD4 marker, a trait which has been used to identify antigen-activated cells. The recent development of MHC tetramer technologies has greatly improved the ability to detect HLA class I-restricted T cells specific for known antigen epitopes. We have recently extended these studies to human class II-restricted CD4+ T cell responses and now describe antigen-specific T cell responses from human peripheral blood in which elevated CD4 expression levels in human T cells following antigen stimulation identify the activated and proliferating subset of cells. The CD4high population is substantially enriched in epitope-specific cells identified by class II tetramer staining and almost all tetramer-positive cells are contained within the CD4high population. T cell clones derived from the tetramer-positive, CD4high population demonstrate antigen specificity and maintain tetramer staining, while the substantial number of CD4high cells which fail to stain with tetramer appear to proliferate as a result of bystander activation. Epitope-specific components of a polyclonal immune response are directly visualized and quantitated by tetramer detection, providing a direct measure of the heterogeneity of the human immune response.

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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Cellular activation, FACS, HLA, MHC, T Lymphocytes
in
International Immunology
volume
13
issue
6
pages
8 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:11369708
  • scopus:0034992147
ISSN
0953-8178
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
e6bef0dc-77dc-41e1-b14f-f8876149061c
date added to LUP
2017-09-07 09:14:51
date last changed
2024-04-14 17:34:02
@article{e6bef0dc-77dc-41e1-b14f-f8876149061c,
  abstract     = {{<p>Antigen-specific T cells acquire a distinctive phenotype during activation, with characteristic acquisition of surface markers and patterns of gene expression. Early after antigen stimulation, CD4<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes increase their surface density of the CD4 marker, a trait which has been used to identify antigen-activated cells. The recent development of MHC tetramer technologies has greatly improved the ability to detect HLA class I-restricted T cells specific for known antigen epitopes. We have recently extended these studies to human class II-restricted CD4<sup>+</sup> T cell responses and now describe antigen-specific T cell responses from human peripheral blood in which elevated CD4 expression levels in human T cells following antigen stimulation identify the activated and proliferating subset of cells. The CD4<sup>high</sup> population is substantially enriched in epitope-specific cells identified by class II tetramer staining and almost all tetramer-positive cells are contained within the CD4<sup>high</sup> population. T cell clones derived from the tetramer-positive, CD4<sup>high</sup> population demonstrate antigen specificity and maintain tetramer staining, while the substantial number of CD4<sup>high</sup> cells which fail to stain with tetramer appear to proliferate as a result of bystander activation. Epitope-specific components of a polyclonal immune response are directly visualized and quantitated by tetramer detection, providing a direct measure of the heterogeneity of the human immune response.</p>}},
  author       = {{Novak, Erik J. and Masewicz, Susan A. and Liu, Andrew W. and Lernmark, Åke and Kwok, William W. and Nepom, Gerald T}},
  issn         = {{0953-8178}},
  keywords     = {{Cellular activation; FACS; HLA; MHC; T Lymphocytes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{799--806}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{International Immunology}},
  title        = {{Activated human epitope-specific T cells identified by class II tetramers reside within a CD4high, proliferating subset}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}