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Related Concept Videos

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity01:26

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

An antigen is any substance the immune system identifies as foreign and potentially harmful to the body, prompting an immune response. Antigens have two functional properties: immunogenicity and reactivity. Immunogenicity is the ability of an antigen to stimulate a specific immune response. At the same time, reactivity describes the antigen's ability to react with the cells and antibodies produced in response to it.
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and reactivity.
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response01:23

Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response

The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...
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Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Overview
Primary Lymphoid Organs01:16

Primary Lymphoid Organs

Primary lymphoid organs are pivotal in the formation, development, and maturation of lymphocytes, the white blood cells that serve as the backbone of our immune system. This crucial function underscores their fundamental role in maintaining our overall health and immunity. The two primary lymphoid organs of prime importance are the red bone marrow and the thymus.
The red bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue nestled in the interior of long bones such as the humerus and femur. It is the site...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
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B Cell Activation and Differentiation

The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...

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Related Experiment Video

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Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells
07:20

Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells

Published on: August 8, 2014

The thymic medulla: a unique microenvironment for intercellular self-antigen transfer.

Christian Koble1, Bruno Kyewski

  • 1Division of Developmental Immunology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|July 1, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Thymic epithelial cells transfer self-antigens to dendritic cells, enabling efficient T cell tolerance. This process is crucial for preventing autoimmune diseases by eliminating self-reactive T cells in the thymus.

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Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells
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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Tolerogenesis

Background:

  • Central tolerance induction relies on thymic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) presenting self-antigens.
  • Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and dendritic cells (DCs) are key APCs in the thymus medulla.
  • The mechanisms of self-antigen presentation and T cell tolerance induction are complex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presentation of ubiquitous and tissue-restricted self-antigens by mTECs and thymic DCs.
  • To elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying T cell tolerance induction in the thymus.
  • To determine the role of antigen transfer between thymic cells in tolerance.

Main Methods:

  • Ex vivo analysis of self-antigen presentation by mTECs and thymic DCs.
  • Utilized ovalbumin (OVA) as a model ubiquitous neo-self-antigen.
  • Investigated antigen transfer from mTECs to DCs and its impact on T cell deletion.

Main Results:

  • Both mTECs and thymic DCs efficiently presented the model self-antigen OVA via MHC class II.
  • DC presentation of OVA depended on its expression in TECs, not hematopoietic cells.
  • OVA-specific T cell deletion correlated with OVA expression in TECs.
  • Thymic DCs received mTEC-derived proteins, with activated DCs being most efficient in presenting these antigens.
  • Antigen presentation was restricted to thymic DCs, not peripheral DCs.

Conclusions:

  • A unique, constitutive, and unidirectional transfer of self-antigens occurs from mTECs to thymic DCs.
  • This intercellular antigen transfer broadens the cellular basis for tolerance induction.
  • The findings highlight a critical mechanism for establishing central tolerance to promiscuously expressed tissue antigens.