Ta. Koppi et al., CD40 LIGAND INHIBITS FAS CD95-MEDIATED APOPTOSIS OF HUMAN BLOOD-DERIVED DENDRITIC CELLS/, European Journal of Immunology, 27(12), 1997, pp. 3161-3165
Dendritic cells (DC) are considered to be the most potent antigen-pres
enting cells (APC) in the immune system. In this study, we analyzed th
e regulation of apoptosis of human peripheral blood-derived DC. DC wer
e generated from adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells that had
been cultured for 7 days with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulatin
g factor and interleukin-4. These cells displayed phenotypic propertie
s of DC, including dendritic processes, expression of CD1a and lack of
expression of CD14, and were very potent at presenting soluble antige
ns to T cells. Blood-derived DC were demonstrated to express the Fas/C
D95 antigen and an agonist antibody to CD95 strongly induced apoptotic
cell death in these cells. Soluble trimeric CD40 ligand potently inhi
bited both CD95-mediated and spontaneous apoptosis in DC. The data sug
gest that interactions between members of the tumor necrosis factor fa
mily of ligands expressed by T cells with their receptors on DC play a
n important role in the regulation of apoptosis in DC during antigen p
resentation and may, therefore, regulate the duration of T cell expans
ion and cytokine production.