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Dendritic cells genetically modified to express CD40 ligand and pulsed with antigen can initiate antigen-specific humoral immunity independent of CD4+ T cells.
| Publication Type | Academic Article |
| Authors | Kikuchi T, Worgall S, Singh R, Moore M, Crystal R |
| Journal | Nat Med |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pagination | 1154-9 |
| Date Published | 10/01/2000 |
| ISSN | 1078-8956 |
| Keywords | CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, CD40 Ligand, Dendritic Cells |
| Abstract | We have investigated whether dendritic cells genetically modified to express CD40 ligand and pulsed with antigen can trigger B cells to produce antigen-specific antibodies without CD4+ T-cell help. Dendritic cells modified with a recombinant adenovirus vector to express CD40 ligand and pulsed with heat-killed Pseudomonas induced naive B cells to produce antibodies against Pseudomonas in the absence of CD4+ T cells in vitro, initiated Pseudomonas-specific humoral immune responses in vivo in wild-type and CD4-/- mice, and protected immunized wild-type and CD4-/-, but not B-cell -/- mice, from lethal intrapulmonary challenge with Pseudomonas. Thus, genetic modification of dendritic cells with CD40 ligand enables them to present a complex mixture of microbial antigens and establish CD4+ T cell-independent, B cell-mediated protective immunity against a specific microbe. |
| DOI | 10.1038/80498 |
| PubMed ID | 11017148 |