On day 6, fresh medium containing GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-1β, IL-6,

PGE2, and TNF was added to the culture. After additional 48 h of culture, nonadherent cells were harvested and used as APCs. Erismodegib research buy Purified CD4+, CD8+ and DN T cells (1×105/well) from donor A were cocultured with allogeneic mature DC (2.5×104/well) from donor B or with anti-CD3/CD28-coated beads (2.5×104/well; Dynabeads CD3/CD28, Invitrogen) in 96-well U-bottom plates in complete medium supplemented with 3% TCGF. T cells were restimulated weekly with fresh allogeneic DC. Viability and purity of the T cells were monitored by flow cytometry. Further purification via magnetic separation was performed if purity decreased to lower than 95%. T cells were used for functional assays 6 days after last stimulation. Cells were stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-IFN-γ, anti-CD4, anti-CD8, anti-TCR-γδ, phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated anti-CD25, anti-CD45RO, anti-TCR-, and allophycocyanin-conjugated anti-CD38, anti-CD45RA, anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) (all from BD Biosciences, Heidelberg, Germany). Isotype control mAb, FITC-labeled annexin V, and 7AAD were purchased from BD. Foxp3 stains were performed

with allophycocyanin-conjugated anti-Foxp3 mAb and the respective control from eBioscience (San Diego, USA). For intracellular IFN-γ staining, activated CD4+ T cells were cocultured with DC and DN T cells in the presence selleck compound of monensin (GolgiStop, BD) for 5 h. After washing, cells were stained for surface markers, fixed and permeabilized (Cytofix/Cytoperm kit, BD), and then stained for intracellular cytokines. Flow cytometry was performed on a FACSCanto II (BD); cell sorting was accomplished on a MoFlo (Beckman Coulter). second Data were analyzed with FlowJo software (Treestar, Ashland, OR, USA). CFSE (Sigma, Munich, Germany) labeled CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (5×104/well) from donor A were stimulated in 96-well U-bottom plates with allogeneic DC (2.5×104/well) from donor B, anti-CD3/CD28

beads (2.5×104/well, Invitrogen/Dynal, Oslo, Norway), or plate-bound anti-CD3 (0.25 μg/well, Orthoclone OKT3, Janssen-Cilag) in complete medium in the presence or absence of DN T cells or CD4+CD25+ Tregs (5×104/well). Anti-CD2/CD3/CD28 loaded particles (Treg Suppression Inspector, Miltenyi Biotec) were used according to the manufactures instructions. After 5–6 days of culture, cells were harvested and stained with anti-CD4, anti-CD8, anti-TCR-αβ, and anti-CD25 mAb. Proliferation of cells was determined by flow cytometry. For blocking experiments, mAb to IL-10 (10 μg/mL JES3-19F1; BD), TGF-β (10 μg/mL 1D11; R&D Systems), Fas (10 μg/mL ZB4; Biomol), or isotype-matched controls were added to the MLR. To block TCR-signaling and protein translocation, DN T cells were incubated with Lck-inhibitor II (100 μM; Calbiochem, Darmstadt, Germany) or with monensin (GolgiStop, according to the manufacture’s protocol; BD) for 3 h, and then used as suppressor cells in the MLR.