Regulatory T (T(R)) cells consist of phenotypically and functionally distinct CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets engaged both in maintaining self-tolerance and in preventing anti-non-self effector responses (microbial, tumor, transplant, and so on) that may be harmful to the host. Here we propose that the proinflammatory function of virus-specific memory effector CCR7(-)CD8(+) T cells, which are ...

Antigen cross-presentation involves the uptake and processing of exogenously derived antigens and their assembly with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Antigen presenting cells (APC) load peptides derived from the exogenous antigens onto MHC class I molecules for presentation to CD8 T cells. Calreticulin has been suggested to mediate and enhance antigen cross-presentatio...

Septic syndrome is the leading cause of mortality for critically ill patients worldwide. Patients develop lymphocyte dysfunctions associated with increased risk of death and nosocomial infections. In this study, we performed preclinical experiments testing the potential of recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) as a lymphostimulating therapy in sepsis. Circulating IL-7 and soluble IL-7 receptor α-chai...

The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and TRAIL receptors was investigated in resting and cytokine-activated purified primary human natural killer (NK) and CD8(+) T cells. Resting NK and CD8(+) T cells expressed the mRNA for all TRAIL receptors, but TRAIL-R4 was the only receptor clearly detectable on the surface of both cell types. NK cells wer...

Previous studies have shown that vaccine-primed CD4(+) T cells can mediate accelerated clearance of respiratory virus infection. However, the relative contributions of Ab and CD8(+) T cells, and the mechanism of viral clearance, are poorly understood. Here we show that control of a Sendai virus infection by primed CD4(+) T cells is mediated through the production of IFN-gamma and does not depen...

Liver dendritic cells (DCs) display immunosuppressive activities and inhibit the CD4+ T cell response. The present study assessed whether and how liver DCs suppress CD8+ T cells. We found that bone marrow-derived mature DCs incubated with liver stromal cells were characterized by a longer life span, reduced CD11c, IA/IE, CD80, CD86, and CD40 expression, and increased CD11b expression. These uni...

BACKGROUND The Nef protein of HIV-1 is suspected to play a role in the depletion of uninfected CD4+ lymphocytes that leads to AIDS. By contrast its effect on CD8+ cells, whose functions are also deregulated during HIV-1 infection, is presently unclear. Here we describe a number of derangements induced in vitro by Nef in CD8+ cells from HIV-1-infected patients. DESIGN Peripheral lymphocytes fr...

In various loading methods of whole tumor cells or their derivatives, cells fusion of dendritic cells (DCs) and tumor cells have some advantages for antigen presentation, and could up-regulate cytotoxic T cells (CTL) for multiple tumor antigens, including unknown antigens. However, the mechanisms of strong CTL productivity of fusion cells (FCs) are still unknown. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are ...

Despite clinical potential and recent advances, durable immunotherapeutic ablation of solid tumors is not routinely achieved. IL15 expands natural killer cell (NK), natural killer T cell (NKT) and CD8(+) T-cell numbers and engages the cytotoxic program, and thus is under evaluation for potentiation of cancer immunotherapy. We found that short-term therapy with IL15 bound to soluble IL15 recepto...

CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte destruction, microbial translocation, and systemic immune activation are the main mechanisms of the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection. To investigate the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the immune profile of and microbial translocation in HIV-infected children, 60 HIV vertically infected children (31 without ART: HI...