B7/BB-1 is a leucocyte differentiation antigen on human dendritic cells induced by activation

Immunology. 1993 Aug;79(4):616-20.

Abstract

Activation of a primary T-lymphocyte response requires additional signals apart from interaction of the T-cell receptor (TcR)/CD3 complex with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens on the antigen-presenting cell. The CD28 antigen on T lymphocytes provides an important co-stimulatory signal to T lymphocytes and we therefore searched for the presence of its ligand, the B7/BB-1 antigen, on blood and tonsil dendritic cells (DC). Blood DC, prepared from peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a minimal period of in vitro culture, did not stain with the monoclonal antibody BB-1 using flow cytometry analysis. In contrast, tonsil DC stained weakly for B7/BB-1 compared to positive control cell lines. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a 605 base pair (bp) fragment from human B7/BB-1 mRNA and demonstrated significant amounts of B7/BB-1 mRNA in tonsil DC but no specific product was obtained from blood DC, confirming the surface-staining results. Weak expression of B7/BB-1 antigen was detected by immunofluorescence analysis following culture of blood DC with either interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These data support the concept that blood DC give rise to tissue and/or lymphoid DC, which acquire co-stimulatory ligands as a result of activation and/or differentiation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antigens, CD / immunology*
  • Base Sequence
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / immunology
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Ligands
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Palatine Tonsil / immunology
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • RNA, Messenger / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antigens, CD
  • Ligands
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor