Role of 4-1BB in allograft rejection mediated by CD8⁺ T cells

Blockade of traditional costimulatory molecules fails to inhibit rejection in many models where CD8⁺ T cells are sufficient to mediate rejection. This observation demonstrates that in many settings CD8⁺ T cells are not dependent upon CD28 or CD154 signals to mediate rejection. 4-1BB (CD137) has been shown to be an important regulatory molecule for CD8⁺ T cells in a variety of nontransplant models. Here we show that blocking the 4-1BB pathway significantly inhibited rejection of intestinal allografts by CD8⁺ but not CD4⁺ T cells. This effect was associated with significantly decreased expression of the genes encoding TNFα and secondary lymphoid chemokine (SLC) within the spleens of recipient mice. Disruption of the 4-1BB pathway also impaired the priming of alloantigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells and the accumulation of recipient dendritic cells within the spleen. These data directly demonstrate an important role for 4-1BB in allograft rejection; particularly rejection mediated by CD8⁺ T cells. Our data suggest that in addition to providing a direct costimulatory signal to T cells, the 4-1BB pathway may regulate other important steps in the immune response such as the migration of T cells and dendritic cells.