| First Author | Maecker HT | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 2458-62 |
| PubMed ID | 9482907 | Mgi Jnum | J:46171 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1197307 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.95.5.2458 |
| Citation | Maecker HT, et al. (1998) CD81 on B cells promotes interleukin 4 secretion and antibody production during T helper type 2 immune responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95(5):2458-62 |
| abstractText | Mice lacking CD81 (TAPA-1), a widely expressed tetraspanin molecule, have impaired antibody responses to protein antigens. This defect is specific to antigens that preferentially stimulate a T helper 2 response (ovalbumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin in alum) and is only seen with T cell-dependent antigens. Absence of CD81 on B cells is sufficient to cause the defect. Also, antigen-specific interleukin (IL) 4 production is greatly reduced in the spleen and lymph nodes of CD81-null mice compared with heterozygous littermates. Thus, expression of CD81 on B cells is critical for inducing optimal IL-4 and antibody production during T helper 2 responses. These findings suggest that CD81 may interact with a ligand on T cells to signal IL-4 production. By using a soluble form of CD81 as a probe, a putative ligand for CD81 was identified on a subset of B and T cells. Two possible models for the interaction of CD81 on B cells with a potential ligand on either B or T cells are proposed. |
