Date of Award
8-19-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Microbiology and Immunology
First Advisor
Makio Iwashima
Abstract
Our immune system is a remarkable defense network that protects our bodies from a range of threats. Its’ intricate machinery comprises of messenger and effector cells that work together to coordinate an effective immune response. Traditionally, T lymphocytes have been considered effectors: they receive instructions from messengers, known as Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs), that alter T-cell activation state and behavior. In the gut, Dendritic Cells (DCs) are the APCs that most often instruct T cells. To accomplish their messenger role, DCs express CD11c at high levels, a surface marker involved in cell-to-cell signaling and phagocytosis. As such, CD11c expression has traditionally been characteristic of DCs. To our surprise, we found that a significant proportion of gut-associated T cells also express CD11c; in fact, these T cells express CD11c in the gut at greater levels than DCs. Given that the functional role of CD11c is cell-to-cell signaling and phagocytosis, we hypothesized that gut-associated CD11c+ T cells function as APCs. To explore this phenomenon, we examined the transcription factors governing the development of these cells, explored the functional role of CD11c in gut-associated T cells, and evaluated these cells' ability to carry out antigen uptake and presentation. The results from this study may shift the longstanding paradigm on APCs and extend this classification to also include T cells.
Recommended Citation
Cvetkovic, Ana, "Characterization of CD11c-Expressing Gut-Associated T Cells" (2024). Master's Theses. 4528.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/4528
