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The Cd40 ligand

The center of the immune universe?

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Abstract

For several years, the primary function of CD40 ligand (CD40L) has been believed to be in regulation of contact-dependent, CD40-CD40L-mediated signals between B-and T-cells, which are essential for the regulation of thymus-dependent (TD) humoral immune responses. Recently, a flurry of reports indicate that CD40 is expressed by variety of cell types other than B-cells that include dendritic cells, follicular dendritic cells, monocytes, macrophages, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. These studies show that CD40-CD40L interactions are important in inflammatory process. For the past few years, through the availability of CD40L-knockout mice, new data have emerged to support the belief that CD40L has many more functions than its role in TD humoral immunity. CD40L-deficient mice have provided significant information towards our understanding of the in vivo role of CD40L. The current picture that emerges indicates that CD40-CD40L interactions mediate many cell-mediated immune responses and T-cell-mediated effector functions that are required for proper functioning of the host defense system. This article focuses on the in vivo role of the CD40L in regulation of cell-mediated effector functions.

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  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 06510, New Haven, CT

    Iqbal S. Grewal &  Richard A. Flavell

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  1. Iqbal S. Grewal
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Grewal, I.S., Flavell, R.A. The Cd40 ligand. Immunol Res 16, 59–70 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02786323

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