Alveolar macrophages in pulmonary immune responses. I. Role in the initiation of primary immune responses and in the selective recruitment of T lymphocytes to the lung
Lyons, C.R.; Lipscomb, M.F.
Journal of Immunology 130(3): 1113-1119
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 6185571 Document Number: 203773
Antigen inoculated intratracheally (IT) into animals can induce primary immune responses and selectively recruit specific T cells to the lung. The role of alveolar macrophages (Am) in these 2 responses was investigated. Antigen-pulsed bronchoalveolar cells (BAC) inoculated IT into guinea pigs generated a population of immune T cells that proliferated in vitro on reexposure to antigen-pulsed macrophages (M.vphi.). The possibility that antigen-pulsed donor BAC shed antigen that was subsequently processed and presented by host M.vphi. was ruled out by genetic experiments. Peritoneal exudate lymphocytes (PEL) from (2 .times. 13)F1 guinea pigs primed with antigen-pulsed BAC from strain 2 animals responded preferentially to antigen-pulsed strain 2 M.vphi. rather than to antigen-pulsed strain 13 M.vphi. In a 2nd set of studies, antigen-pulsed BAC inoculated IT into guinea pigs selectively recruited antigen-specific T cells to the lung. Genetic experiments verified that inoculated BAC were the source of the antigen-presenting cells responsible for selective recruitment. Antigen-pulsed strain 2 BAC inoculated IT recruited a greater proportion of (2 .times. 13)F1 T cells that recognized antigen in the context of strain 2 M.vphi. than F1 T cells that recognized antigen on strain 13 M.vphi. AM apparently contribute to the regulation of pulmonary immunity by both inducing T lymphocyte immunity and selectively recruiting specific T cells to the lung.