Artificial Antigen Presentosomes for T Cell Activation

Abstract

CD8+ T cells constitute an essential component of the adaptive immune system. They are activated through T cell receptor (TCR) recognizing antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I molecules expressed by antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs). Harvesting a large number of activated, antigen-specific human CD8+ T cells for functional studies has been a laborious task for immunologists, largely because of the variables associated with DC preparations. Here we describe a robust, cost-effective DC-free antigen-presenting system capable of generating a large number of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in vitro.