CD8+ T Cells and Antitumour Immunity
Historically, much more attention and funding has been devoted to the role of CD8+ T cells in antitumor immunity, rather than to CD4+ T cells. This can be attributed to a number of things; CD4+ T cells respond only to presentation of antigens by MHC class II, however, most cells express only MHC class I; second, CD8+ T cells, upon being presented with antigen by MHC class I, can directly kill the cancerous cell, through mechanisms which will not be discussed in this article, but which have been well categorized; (See Abbas and Lichtman, 2005) finally, there is simply a more widespread understanding and knowledge of MHC class I tumor antigens, while MHC class II antigens remain somewhat obscure.(Pardol and Toplain, 1998).
It was believed that CD4+ T cells were not involved directly in antitumour immunity, but rather functioned simply in the priming of CD8+ T cells, through activation antigen presenting cells (APCs) and increased antigen presentation on MHC class I, as well as secretion of excitatory cytokines such as IL-2 (Pardol and Toplain, 1998, Kalams and Walker, 1998, Wang 2001).
Read more about this topic: CD4+ T Cells And Antitumor Immunity
Famous quotes containing the words cells and/or immunity:
“They are sworn enemies of lyric poetry.
In prison they accompany the jailer,
Enter cells to hear confessions.
Their short-end comes down
When you least expect it.”
—Charles Simic (b. 1938)
“Mistakes, scandals, and failures no longer signal catastrophe. The crucial thing is that they be made credible, and that the public be made aware of the efforts being expended in that direction. The “marketing” immunity of governments is similar to that of the major brands of washing powder.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)