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Published on: September 1, 2018
Human gammadelta T lymphocytes strip and kill tumor cells simultaneously
Julie Gertner1, Aurélie Wiedemann, Mary Poupot
1Department of Oncology, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 563, BP 3128, Hopital Purpan, 31024 Toulouse Cedex 03, France.
Immunology Letters
|April 25, 2007
Summary
Human gammadelta T lymphocytes simultaneously strip and kill lymphoma cells upon contact. This membrane stripping and cytotoxic activity are linked, even after lymphocyte death.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Human gammadelta lymphocytes are crucial immune cells involved in tumor surveillance and killing.
- The mechanism by which gammadelta lymphocytes interact with and eliminate tumor cells, particularly regarding membrane stripping, remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the simultaneous occurrence of membrane stripping and cytotoxic granule secretion by human gammadelta lymphocytes during tumor cell killing.
- To elucidate the relationship between target cell membrane stripping and the cytotoxic activity of gammadelta T lymphocytes.
Main Methods:
- Co-incubation of human gammadelta lymphocytes with anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells.
- Flow cytometry and live cell imaging to observe cellular interactions and activities.
- Analysis of cytotoxic granule secretion and membrane stripping dynamics.
Main Results:
- TCR-mediated activation of gammadelta lymphocytes triggered simultaneous lytic granule secretion and lymphoma cell membrane stripping upon cell contact.
- Both membrane stripping and cytotoxic activities persisted even after the death of gammadelta lymphocytes.
- Resistant lymphoma cells failed to strip gammadelta cells or induce their death via lytic granule secretion.
Conclusions:
- Secretion of lytic granules and target membrane stripping are intrinsically associated processes in cytotoxic T cell conjugates.
- Human gammadelta T lymphocytes simultaneously strip and kill their target lymphoma cells, highlighting a novel aspect of anti-tumor immunity.
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