Monocyte-dependent death of freshly isolated T lymphocytes: induction by phorbolester and mitogens and differential effects of catalase

Resting T cells are resistant to anti-Fas (CD95) mAb-mediated apoptosis but undergo apoptosis when triggered by anti-CD3 mAb or phorbolester PMA in the presence of PMA-activated monocytes. In this study, PMA, as well as the mitogens PHA and Con A, was found to induce death of resting T cells in the presence of autologous or allogeneic monocytes, while PWM was ineffective. Although several established monocytic and myelocytic cell lines were potent accessory cells for the mitogen-induced expansion of T lymphocytes, they all failed to replace plastic-adherent monocytes in the induction of monocyte-dependent cell death (MDCD) by PMA or PHA. CD45RA-positive cord blood T cells were as susceptible as peripheral blood T cells from adult donors to PMA-stimulated induction of MDCD. Using optimal concentrations of phorbolester, MDCD was inhibited neither by Fas-Fc fusion protein or neutralizing anti-Fas mAb, nor by inhibitors of IL-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE)-like proteases. In striking contrast, the H2O2 scavenger catalase completely prevented the PMA-stimulated T cell death, thereby revealing a potent mitogenic activity of PMA for human T cells in the presence of monocytes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the accessory cell activity of monocytes/macrophages can be separated into "T cell death" and "T cell expansion" costimulatory functions, of which only the latter is mediated by established cell lines. Moreover, our results point to a pivotal role of reactive oxygen intermediates in the execution of MDCD triggered by PMA.