Activation of CD4 T cells

Summary: Physical detection of antigen-specific CD4 T cells has revealed fea- tures of the in vivo immune response that were not appreciated from in vitro studies. In vivo, antigen is initially presented to na¨ıve CD4 T cells exclusively by dendritic cells within the T cell areas of secondary lymphoid tissues. Anatomic constraints make it likely that these dendritic cells acquire the antigen at the site where it en- ters the body. Inflammation enhances in vivo T cell activation by stimulating den- dritic cells to migrate to the T cell areas and display stable peptide-MHC complexes and costimulatory ligands. Once stimulated by a dendritic cell, antigen-specific CD4 T cells produce IL-2 but proliferate in an IL-2–independent fashion. Inflammatory signals induce chemokine receptors on activated T cells that direct their migration into the B cell areas to interact with antigen-specific B cells. Most of the activated T cells then die within the lymphoid tissues. However, in the presence of inflam- mation, a population of memory T cells survives. This population is composed of two functional classes. One recirculates through nonlymphoid tissues and is capable of immediate effector lymphokine production. The other recirculates through lymph nodes and quickly acquires the capacity to produce effector lymphokines if stimulated. Therefore, antigenic stimulation in the presence of inflammation produces an increased number of specific T cells capable of producing effector lymphokines throughout the body.