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- Title
Intestinal Epithelial Antigen Induces CD4<sup>+</sup> T Cells with Regulatory Phenotype in a Transgenic Autoimmune Mouse Model.
- Authors
WESTENDORF, ASTRID M.; BRUDER, DUNJA; HANSEN, WIEBKE; BUER, JAN
- Abstract
Regulatory T cells play a crucial role in the control of immune responses in the intestinal mucosa and their absence may predispose to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the induction of regulatory T cells at sites of mucosal inflammation is not yet fully understood and may involve antigen presentation by local immature dendritic cells and/or intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). VILLIN-HA mice, which express the hemagglutinin (HA) from influenza virus A exclusively in enterocytes of the intestinal epithelium, were matched with T cell receptor (TCR)-HA mice expressing an αβ-TCR which recognizes a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-restricted epitope of HA in order to determine the impact of antigen presentation by IECs on CD4+ T cell immunity. In VILLIN-HA × TCR-HA mice, peripheral HA-specific lymphocytes showed an activated phenotype and increased infiltration into the intestinal mucosa without destruction of the intestinal epithelium. Mucosal lymphocytes from VILLIN-HA × TCR-HA mice secreted lower amounts of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) and exhibited an increased expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10), Nrp-1, and Foxp3, molecules published as markers for regulatory T cells. IECs can take up and process antigen but the antigen presentation capacity of these cells is often inefficient. Functional and molecular characterization of IECs from VILLIN-HA and VILLIN-HA × TCR-HA transgenic mice revealed a direct role in the induction of CD4+ T cells with a regulatory phenotype that maintain intestinal homeostasis.
- Publication
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2006, Vol 1072, Issue 1, p401
- ISSN
0077-8923
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.1196/annals.1326.035