Mycobacterium tuberculosis-activated dendritic cells induce protective immunity in mice

• Published in: Immunology Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 473 - 480
• Main Authors: Tascon, R E, Soares, C S, Ragno, S, Stavropoulos, E, Hirst, E M, Colston, M J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2000
• Subjects: Adoptive Transfer; Animals; Antigens, CD - analysis; B7-1 antigen; B7-1 Antigen - analysis; B7-2 Antigen; Cytokines - immunology; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Dendritic Cells - microbiology; Dendritic Cells - ultrastructure; Female; interleukin 1^b; Interleukin-1 - genetics; Interleukin-12 - genetics; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Macrophages, Peritoneal - immunology; Membrane Glycoproteins - analysis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred CBA; Microscopy, Electron; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - analysis; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Tuberculosis - immunology; Tuberculosis - pathology; Tuberculosis - prevention & control; Tumor Cells, Cultured; tumor necrosis factor-^a; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics
• ISSN: 0019-2805; 1365-2567
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2567.2000.00963.x

Activated dendritic cells are critically important in the priming of T-cell responses. In this report we show that the infection of a conditionally immortalized dendritic cell line (tsDC) with Mycobacterium tuberculosis resulted in the up-regulation of B7-1 and B7-2 co-stimulatory molecules and the induction of several inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, -1beta and -12. In addition, we show that these activated dendritic cells were capable of eliciting antigen-specific T-cell responses and potent anti-mycobacterial protective immunity in a murine model of experimental tuberculosis infection.