Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 166, Issue 11, Pages 6749-6753Publisher
AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.166.11.6749
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NHLBI NIH HHS [K08 HL04298] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAID NIH HHS [AI05074, AI27285] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We studied the effect of T cells on IL-18 production by human monocytes in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Addition of activated T cells markedly enhanced IL-18 production by monocytes exposed to M. tuberculosis. This effect was mediated by a soluble factor and did not require cell-to-cell contact. The effect of activated T cells was mimicked by recombinant IFN-gamma and was abrogated by neutralizing Abs to IFN-gamma. IFN-gamma also enhanced the capacity of alveolar macrophages to produce IL-18 in response to Al. tuberculosis, suggesting that this mechanism also operates in the lung during mycobacterial infection. IFN-gamma increased IL-18 production by increasing cleavage of pro-IL-18 to mature IL-18, as it enhanced caspase-1 activity but did not increase IL-18 mRNA expression. These findings suggest that activated T cells can contribute to the initial immune response by augmenting IL-18 production by monocytes in response to an intracellular pathogen.
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