Drug-induced expansion and differentiation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in vivo: The role of exogenous IL-2
Human Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells recognize nonpeptidic Ags generated by the 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (many eubacteria, algae, plants, and Apicomplexa) and mevalonate (eukaryotes, archaebacteria, and certain eubacteria) pathways of isoprenoid synthesis. The potent Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell reactivity 1) against certain cancer cells or 2) induced by infectious agents indicates that therapeutic augmentations of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell activities may be clinically beneficial. The functional characteristics of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells from Macaca fascicularis (cynomolgus monkey) are very similar to those from Homo sapiens. We have found that the i.v. administration of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonat…
In vivo γδ T Cell Priming to Mycobacterial Antigens by Primary Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Exposure to Nonpeptidic Ligands
The recognition of phosphorylated nonpeptidic microbial metabolites by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells does not appear to require the presence of MHC molecules or antigen processing, permitting rapid responses against microbial pathogens. These may constitute an important area of natural anti-infectious immunity. To provide evidence of their involvement in immune reactivities against mycobacteria, we measured the responsiveness of peripheral blood Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in children with primary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infections. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 22 children with MTB infections and 16 positivity of tuberculin (PPD)-negative healthy children were exposed to nonpeptidic antigens in vit…