Human B7-1 is more efficient than B7-2 in providing co-stimulation for alloantigen-specific T cells

Besides a signal via the T cell receptor/CD3 complex, an additional costimulatory signal is required for optimal T cell activation. This signal can be delivered by interaction of either B7-1 or B7-2 expressed by antigen-presenting cells with CD28 on the T cells. Comparison of the function of B7-1 and B7-2 in different experimental animal systems generated conflicting data on the roles for the co-stimulatory molecules. We therefore investigated whether there are differences between B7-1 and B7-2-mediated co-stimulation in an alloantigen-specific primary T cell response induced by B7-transfected human cell lines of epithelial origin. Both transfected keratinocyte cell lines efficiently induce T cell proliferation and the ratios of stimulator versus responder cells are similar. The kinetics of proliferation and interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and interferon-gamma production are also comparable between both transfectant lines. However, despite equal B7 expression levels, it is consistently found that the magnitude of the B7-1-induced T cell proliferation was higher than that of B7-2. Comparison of precursor frequencies of helper T lymphocytes responsive with either B7-1 or B7-2 revealed that the frequency of B7-1-responsive T cells was higher than that of B7-2, and that the frequency of cells activated by a combination of B7-1 and B7-2 did not differ significantly from that of B7-1 alone. We therefore conclude that the B7-2-responsive T cells are part of the B7-1-responsive population, and that B7-1 on keratinocytes is more efficient in providing co-stimulation for alloantigen-specific T cells.