Antigen presenting cells in human decidual tissue. II: Accessory cells for the development of anti-trinitrophenyl cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Antigen presenting cells were isolated from early human decidua or peripheral blood by elution with EDTA of cells that after Ficoll-Paque separation bear receptors for, and have bound to, fibronectin. Decidual antigen presenting cells (DAPCs) co-cultured with TNP-modified autologous T cells induced the development of cytotoxic anti-TNP T lymphocytes with an efficiency comparable to that of peripheral blood antigen presenting cells (PAPCs). Treatment with anti HLA-class II antibody plus complement and UV radiation resulted in substantial inhibition of the accessory cell function. The T cell mediated lysis of TNP-modified targets is restricted by the major histocompatibility complex. Our results show that HLA-class I molecules are the most prominent restriction elements. The relevance of these data to the immunological mechanisms operating at the feto-maternal interface is discussed.