NKT Cells Provide Help for Dendritic Cell-Dependent Priming of MHC Class I-Restricted CD8 super(+) T Cells In Vivo

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 170; no. 5; pp. 2540 - 2548
• Main Authors: Stober, D, Jomantaite, I, Schirmbeck, R, Reimann, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.03.2003
• ISSN: 0022-1767

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent APCs for naive T cells in vivo. This is evident by inducing T cell responses through adoptive DC transfer. Priming specific CTL responses in vivo often requires "help". We study alternative sources of help in DC-dependent priming of MHC class I-restricted CTL. Priming an anti-viral CTL response in naive B6 mice by adoptive transfer of antigenic peptide-pulsed DC required CD4 super(+) T cell help. CTL priming was facilitated by providing MHC class II-dependent specific help. Furthermore, transfers of MHC class II-deficient pulsed DC into naive, normal hosts, or DC transfers into naive, CD4 super(+) T cell-depleted hosts primed CTL inefficiently. Pretreatment of DC with immune-stimulating oligodeoxynucleotides rendered them more efficient for CD4 super(+) T cell-independent priming of CTL. DC copresenting a K super(b)-binding antigenic peptide and the CD1d-binding glycolipid alpha -galactosyl-ceramide efficiently primed CTL in a class II-independent way. To obtain NKT cell-dependent help in CTL priming, the same DC had to present both the peptide and the glycolipid. CTL priming by adoptive DC transfer was largely NK cell-dependent. The requirement for NK cells was only partially overcome by recruiting NKT cell help into DC-dependent CTL priming. NKT cells thus are potent helper cells for DC-dependent CTL priming.