T cell-dependent immune responses are highly sensitive to suppression by
exposure to the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
(TCDD), yet direct effects of TCDD on T cells have been difficult to demonstrate.
Because the activation of naive T cells is initiated by dendritic cells (DC), the studies
presented in this dissertation were...
In experimentally exposed mice, the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) produces significant suppression of adaptive immune responses at low doses. However, the underlying biochemical and cellular mechanisms of TCDD-induced immunotoxicity have remained elusive since the identification of these effects nearly 30 years ago. Antigen-presenting cells (APC) constitute various populations of...