Monocytes and gammadelta T cells: close encounters in microbial infection.

Abstract

gammadelta T cells comprise an evolutionarily conserved yet poorly understood subset of T cells. Numerous features place these unconventional lymphocytes at the branching point between antigen-presenting cells and natural killer cells of the innate immune system and major-histocompatibility-complex-restricted alphabeta T cells of the adaptive immune system. We propose a role for human Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cells in the generation of monocyte-derived inflammatory dendritic cells during infection. Our model incorporates the peculiar innate-like specificity of Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cells for the microbial metabolite (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP), co-recruitment of monocytes and Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cells to sites of infection, and their crosstalk, with profound consequences for the initiation of antigen-specific alphabeta T-cell responses. Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cells act thus as a cellular switch between innate and adaptive defence mechanisms.

• Authors: Matthias Eberl, Bernhard Moser
• Journal: Trends in immunology (Trends Immunol) Vol. 30 Issue 12 Pg. 562-8 (Dec 2009) ISSN: 1471-4981 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 19853512 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl pyrophosphate
• Diphosphates
• Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta

Topics

• Adaptive Immunity
• Bacterial Infections (immunology, pathology)
• Cell Communication (immunology)
• Cell Differentiation
• Dendritic Cells (metabolism, pathology)
• Diphosphates (immunology)
• Humans
• Immunity, Innate
• Monocytes (immunology, metabolism, pathology)
• Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta (metabolism)
• T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity
• T-Lymphocytes (immunology, metabolism, pathology)