Physical interaction between lung epithelial cells and T lymphocytes.

The present results support a role for epithelial cells in the activation of T cells in an apparent antigen-independent manner. The transient expression of CD25 indicates a short acting T cells activation. Possibly, this event primes T cells to respond swiftly upon antigen-specific stimulation or to synthesize mediators that affect the local milieu. The molecular mechanism of interaction, although not well defined possibly involves LFA3-CD2 interactions. In T cell activation, via LFA3-CD2 interaction, the density of presented LFA3 molecules is critical. With the increase in the level of expression of LFA3 by epithelial cells this critical density may have been reached. However, based on what is known about T cell activation and CD25 expression in particular it is likely that additional signals such as soluble mediators are required for T cell activation by epithelial cells. Whether this mode of activation occurs in vivo remains to be established by studying ex vivo and in situ material. Not much is known about the expression of LFA3 by epithelial cells in vivo, nor about the stimuli that induce the upregulation of LFA3. In preliminary experiments with fluorescence microscopy we found that neither TNF-alpha nor IL-1 beta induce LFA3 in the same fashion as IFN-gamma. In conclusion, T cell activation by epithelial cells could be an important feature in inflammatory and immunological processes in mucosal systems such as the bronchi and deserves further research.