CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTIGEN-INDEPENDENT AND ANTIGEN-DEPENDENT INTERACTION OF DENDRITIC CELLS WITH CD4(-CELLS() T)

Dendritic cells (DC) are the main antigen-presenting cells for the ini tiation of primary T cell-mediated immune responses. In the first stag e of activation, T cells bind to DC in an antigen-independent manner. We studied the adhesion characteristics of human CD4(+) T cells to DC generated from CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitors following 12 to 13 da ys of culture in the presence of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimula ting factor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. A majority of these cells had the morphology, phenotype and functions of DC. CD4(+) T/DC adhesi on was measured by means of fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry . Four independent receptor/ligand pathways, LFA-1/ICAM, ICAM/LFA-1, C D2/LFA-3 and CD28/CD8O, were involved in the transient adhesion of DC to CD4(+) T cells in antigen-independent and specific alloantigen-depe ndent situations, as shown by blocking experiments using monoclonal an tibodies. The antibodies also blocked a primary mixed lymphocyte react ion (MLR) in which DC were used as stimulatory eels. Adhesion of allor eactive CD4(+) T cells to antigen-presenting DC was stronger than that of resting CD4(+) T cells, while peak adhesion occurred after 5 and 2 0 min, respectively. The LFA-1 ligands involved in adhesion of resting CD4 T cells to DC and alloreactive CD4(+) T cells to specific DC diff ered in part, since ICAM-3 on resting T cells and ICAM-1 on alloreacti ve T lymphocytes preferentially bound LFA-1. Studies of interactions b etween DC and phorbol ester-activated T cells expressing the CD40 liga nd revealed a fifth independent adhesion pathway, CD40/CD40 ligand. CD 4-mediated regulation of CD4(+) T/DC adhesion was suggested by the obs ervation that preincubation of CD4(+) T cells and DC individually with anti-CD4 antibodies inhibited adhesion. In addition, antibodies speci fic for HLA class II molecules inhibited adhesion when used to pretrea t DC but not alloactivated CD4(+) T cells.