Journal
PLOS PATHOGENS
Volume 4, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0040039
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NHLBI NIH HHS [F32 HL087129-01, F32 HL087129] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAID NIH HHS [R01 AI048090-06, R01 AI048090] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is heavily dependent on the adaptive Th1 cellular immune response. Paradoxically, optimal priming of the Th1 response requires activation of priming dendritic cells with Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma. At present, the innate cellular mechanisms required for the generation of an optimal Th1 T cell response remain poorly characterized. We hypothesized that innate Mtb-reactive T cells provide an early source of IFN-gamma to fully activate Mtb-exposed dendritic cells. Here, we report the identification of a novel population of Mtb-reactive CD4(-) alpha beta TCR(+) innate thymocytes. These cells are present at high frequencies, respond to Mtb-infected cells by producing IFN-gamma directly ex vivo, and display characteristics of effector memory T cells. This novel innate population of Mtb-reactive T cells will drive further investigation into the role of these cells in the containment of Mtb following infectious exposure. Furthermore, this is the first demonstration of a human innate pathogen-specific alpha beta TCR(+) T cell and is likely to inspire further investigation into innate T cells recognizing other important human pathogens.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available