The Brain Microvascular Endothelium Supports T Cell Proliferation and Has Potential for Alloantigen Presentation
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Endothelial cells (EC) form the inner lining of blood vessels and are positioned between circulating lymphocytes and tissues. Hypotheses have formed that EC may act as antigen presenting cells based on the intimate interactions with T cells, which are seen in diseases like multiple sclerosis, cerebral malaria (CM) and viral neuropathologies. Here, we investigated how human brain microvascular EC (HBEC) interact with and support the proliferation of T cells. We found HBEC to express MHC II, CD40 and ICOSL, key molecules for antigen presentation and co-stimulation and to take up fluorescently labeled antigens via macropinocytosis. In co-cultures, we showed that HBEC support and promote the proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, which both are key in CM pathogenesis, particularly following T cell receptor activation and co-stimulation. Our findings provide novel evidence that HBEC can trigger T cell activation, thereby providing a novel mechanism for neuroimmunological complications of infectious diseases.
Source: PLoS ONE
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Awards: Brain endothelial cell membrane stabilisation and its involvement in cerebral malaria, Astrocytes in cerebral malaria, Tryptophan metabolism, microparticules and blood brain barrier disruption, MP in CM pathogenesis, Studying the involvement of small membrane vesicles and their potential as therapeutic targets in malaria
OpenAlex ID: W2029663271