Naive, effector, and memory T lymphocytes efficiently scan dendritic cells in vivo: contact frequency in T cell zones of secondary lymphoid organs does not depend on LFA-1 expression and facilitates survival of effector T cells

J Immunol. 2005 Mar 1;174(5):2517-24. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.5.2517.

Abstract

Contact between T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) is required for their subsequent interaction leading to the induction of adaptive immune responses. Quantitative data regarding the contact frequencies of T cell subsets in different lymphoid organs and species are lacking. Therefore, naive, effector, and memory CD4 T cells were injected into rats in absence of the cognate Ag, and 0.5-96 h later, spleen, lymph nodes, and Peyer's patches were removed. Cryosections were analyzed for contact between donor T cells and endogenous DCs in the T cell zone, and donor cell proliferation. More than 60% of injected naive CD4 T cells were in contact with endogenous DCs at all time points and in all organs analyzed. Surprisingly, we were unable to detect any differences between naive, effector, and memory CD4 T cells despite different expression levels of surface molecules. In addition, contact frequency was similar for T cells in lymphoid organs of rats, mice, and humans; it was unaffected by the absence of LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18), and sustained effector T cells in an activated state. Thus, the architecture of the T cell zone rather than expression patterns of surface molecules determines the contact efficiency between T cells and DCs in vivo.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / transplantation
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / physiology
  • Cell Communication / immunology*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cell Survival / immunology
  • Chemokines / physiology
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Immunologic Memory*
  • Injections, Intravenous
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / biosynthesis*
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / physiology
  • Lymphoid Tissue / cytology
  • Lymphoid Tissue / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Resting Phase, Cell Cycle / immunology*
  • Species Specificity
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / cytology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / transplantation

Substances

  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Chemokines
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1