Murine epidermal antigen-presenting cells in primary and secondary T-cell proliferative responses to herpes simplex virus in vitro.

The role of epidermal Langerhans' cells in infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) was investigated using a culture system that supports antigen-specific primary and secondary T-cell proliferative responses. Epidermal cell suspensions were capable of restimulating the response of in vivo primed T cells to UV-inactivated HSV. This capability was also present in cell suspensions enriched for Langerhans' cells, but was abrogated by the depletion of I-A-bearing cells. The magnitude, kinetics and phenotype of the responding cells were similar to those elicited when HSV was presented to primed T cells by antigen-presenting cells from the spleen. In marked contrast, whereas splenic antigen-presenting cells induced strong antigen-specific proliferation of unprimed T cells (primarily of the helper phenotype), Langerhans' cells failed to invoke any detectable reaction of such cells.