From T cell apoptosis to chronic immune activation in inflammatory diseases

A variety of physiological and pathological conditions may induce cell death. Therefore, it is reasonable that apoptotic cells send different signals promoting either tolerance or immune responses. Many factors influence the type of response, such as the quality (e.g. bearing or released factors, activation state), the timing and the site of cell death. In particular, the activation state of apoptotic lymphocytes (CD40L expression) may be crucial in determining the fate of their cross-presentation, i.e. cross-tolerance versus cross-priming. The cross-presentation of apoptotic activated CD40L+ T cells determines the cross-priming of apoptotic epitope-specific CD8+ T cells. These autoreactive CD8+ T cells are observed in diseases with a sustained component of chronic inflammation such as chronic viral infections and systemic autoimmune diseases. We have explored this phenomenon in HIV and chronic hepatitis C virus infections as well as in multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, all conditions where these CD8+ T cells participate in the maintenance of a low-level state of inflammation.