| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
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| Research Abstract |
APCs initiate T cell-mediated immune responses against foreign Ags. Dendritic cells are professional APCs that play unique roles, including Ag-nonspecific capture, priming of naive T cells and Th1 induction, whereas B cells generally lack these functions. In this study, we uncovered novel aspects of murine B cells as APCs using CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG) conjugated with an Ag. B cells served as efficient APCs independently of surface Igs. This characteristic was underlay by the CpG-mediated Ag uptake and presentation, which was functional only when CpG were covalently conjugated to Ag. The B cells cultured with CpG-conjugated Ag not only enhanced the IFN-γ formation by Th1 cells but also induced Th1 differentiation from unprimed T cells. These natures were in parallel with the increase in the expression of CD40, CD86, and class II molecules on B cells, and the coordinated production of IL-12 by the cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report revealing that B cells share with dendritic cells common intrinsic characteristics, such as the Ag-nonspecific capture and presentation, and the induction of Th1 differentiation from unprimed T cells.
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