Modulation of antigen-specific T-cell activation in vitro by taurine chloramine

Taurine chloramine (TauCl) is produced during inflammation by reaction of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with taurine, the most abundant free amino acid in neutrophils. We previously reported that TauCl inhibits the generation of macrophage inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In this study, the activity of TauCl in modulating T-cell activation was investigated. Treatment of T cells with TauCl (0.1-0.3 mM), prior to activation, was found to inhibit interleukin-2 (IL-2) release in response to both mitogen and antigen stimulation. Similarly, pretreatment of A-20 antigen presenting cells (APCs), at low cell numbers, was found to inhibit their ability to process and present ovalbumin (OVA) to a specific T-cell hybridoma. In contrast, pretreatment of higher numbers of A-20 cells with TauCl in the presence of OVA enhanced subsequent presentation of OVA. Finally, OVA modified with TauCl was processed and presented more efficiently than native OVA. Thus, TauCl is able to modulate induction of a specific adaptive immune response at several independent points of the overall antigen-presenting pathway.