First Author | Chambers CA | Year | 1999 |
Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 96 |
Issue | 15 | Pages | 8603-8 |
PubMed ID | 10411922 | Mgi Jnum | J:119845 |
Mgi Id | MGI:3703374 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.96.15.8603 |
Citation | Chambers CA, et al. (1999) Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) regulates primary and secondary peptide-specific CD4(+) T cell responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96(15):8603-8 |
abstractText | CTLA-4-deficient mice develop a fatal lymphoproliferative disorder, characterized by polyclonal expansion of peripheral lymphocytes. To examine the effect of restricting the CD4(+) TCR repertoire on the phenotype of CTLA-4-deficient mice and to assess the influence of CTLA-4 on peptide-specific CD4(+) T cell responses in vitro, an MHC class II-restricted T cell receptor (AND TCR) transgene was introduced into the CTLA-4(-/-) animals. The expression of the AND TCR transgene by CD4(+) T cells delays but does not prevent the lymphoproliferation in the CTLA-4(-/-) mice. The CD4(+) T cells become preferentially activated and expand. Interestingly, young AND TCR(+) CTLA-4(-/-) mice carrying a null mutation in the rag-1 gene remain healthy and the T cells maintain a naive phenotype until later in life. We demonstrate that CTLA-4 regulates the peptide-specific proliferative response generated by naive and previously activated AND TCR(+) RAG(-/-) T cells in vitro. The absence of CTLA-4 also augments the responder frequency of cytokine-secreting AND TCR(+) RAG(-/-) T cells. These results demonstrate that CTLA-4 is a key regulator of peptide-specific CD4(+) T cell responses and support the model that CTLA-4 plays a differential role in maintaining T cell homeostasis of CD4(+) vs. CD8(+) T cells. |