Dual Activation-Induced Marker Combinations Efficiently Identify and Discern Antigen-Specific and Bystander-Activated Human CD4⁺ T Cells.

ABSTRACT: Identifying activated T lymphocytes and differentiating antigen-specific from bystander T cells is crucial for understanding adaptive immune responses. This study investigates the efficacy of activation-induced markers (AIMs) in distinguishing these cell populations. We measured the expression of commonly used AIMs (CD25, CD38, CD40L, CD69, CD137, HLA-DR, ICOS, and OX40) in an in vitro T-cell activation system and evaluated their sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value. We demonstrated that individual AIMs, while specific in detecting activated CD4⁺ T cells, poorly discriminate between antigen-specific and bystander activation, as assessed by a discriminative capacity (DC) score we developed. Our analysis revealed that dual AIM combinations significantly enhanced

SUBMITTER: Ceraolo MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11830384 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature