Microglial cells qualify as the stimulators of unprimed CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the central nervous system

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology Vol. 98; no. 2; pp. 313 - 318
• Main Authors: CASH, E., ROTT, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.1994; Blackwell
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cells, Cultured; Flow Cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Immunobiology; Interferon-gamma - immunology; Isoantigens - immunology; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; microglia; Microglia - immunology; Modulation of the immune response (stimulation, suppression); phagocytosis; Phagocytosis - immunology; priming; Rats; Rats, Inbred BN; Rats, Inbred Lew; resting T lymphocytes; Cell proliferation; Immunostimulation; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Accessory cell; Cell subpopulation; Microglia; Vertebrata; Mammalia; T-Lymphocyte; Neuroimmunomodulation; Phagocytosis
• ISSN: 0009-9104; 1365-2249
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1994.tb06143.x

SUMMARY The potential of central nervous system (CNS)‐derived cells for initiating T cell responses is not known. Using the capacity of unprimed T cells to respond to allogeneic determinants on antigen presenting cells (APC). we assessed the ability of microglial cells lo act as stimulators of primary T cell responses in vitro. For this purpose, microglial cells were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), or by phagocytosis of progenitor oligodendrocytes and subsequently tested for their ability to induce a proliferative response of naive, resting T cells. Activated microglial cells induced a significant proliferation of virgin, alloreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, with a more substantial response of highly purified CD4+ than of CD8+ expressing T cells. Phagocytosis activation was the most efficient stimulus to induce this APC competence on microglial cells. By contrast. IFN‐γ pretreated. MHC‐expressing astrocytes were unable to induce similar responses of alloreactive CD4+ or CD8+ T cells under the same experimental conditions. Collectively, our data suggest the role of activated microglia as the fully immunocompetent accessory cell population of the CNS.