CD4+ T Cells Rely on a Cytokine Gradient to Control Intracellular Pathogens beyond Sites of Antigen Presentation - Institut Pasteur Access content directly
Journal Articles Immunity Year : 2012

CD4+ T Cells Rely on a Cytokine Gradient to Control Intracellular Pathogens beyond Sites of Antigen Presentation

Abstract

Effector T cells are critical for clearance of pathogens from sites of infection. Like cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, CD4(+) helper T cells have been shown to deliver effector molecules directionally toward the immunological synapse, suggesting that infected cells need to be engaged individually to receive effector signals. In contrast, we show here that CD4(+) T cells stably contacted a minority of infected cells, yet these interactions triggered intracellular defense mechanisms in bystander cells in vivo. By using a functional read-out, we provide evidence that this effector bystander activity extends via a gradient of IFN-γ more than 80 μm beyond the site of antigen presentation, promoting pathogen clearance in the absence of immunological synapse formation. Our results thus demonstrate that CD4(+) T cells can exert their protective activity by engaging a minority of infected cells.

Dates and versions

pasteur-01402724 , version 1 (25-11-2016)

Identifiers

Cite

Andreas j. Müller, Orchidée Filipe-Santos, Gerard Eberl, Toni Aebischer, Gerald F Späth, et al.. CD4+ T Cells Rely on a Cytokine Gradient to Control Intracellular Pathogens beyond Sites of Antigen Presentation. Immunity, 2012, 37 (1), pp.147 - 157. ⟨10.1016/j.immuni.2012.05.015⟩. ⟨pasteur-01402724⟩
143 View
0 Download

Altmetric

Share

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More