Relative efficacy of uptake and presentation of Mycobacterium bovis BCG antigens by type I mouse lung epithelial cells and peritoneal macrophages.

Flow cytometric studies indicated that both peritoneal macrophages (PMs) and primary lung epithelial (PLE) cells isolated from mouse lungs could take up fluorescence-tagged Mycobacterium bovis BCG. BCG uptake in both cases was significantly inhibited by cytochalasin D, indicating active internalization of BCG by these cells. Confocal microscopy data further confirmed that BCG was internalized by PLE cells. BCG sonicate antigen (sBCG) had marked toxicity toward PMs but was relatively nontoxic to PLE cells. Accordingly, BCG sonicate antigen induced a significantly higher apoptotic and necrotic response in PMs compared to that in PLE cells. Both PMs and PLE cells exposed to BCG antigens and fixed thereafter could efficiently present antigens to purified BCG-sensitized T helper cells, as assessed by the release of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ). If, however, PLE cells were fixed before exposure to BCG, antigen presentation was abrogated, indicating that the PLE cells may in some way process the BCG antigen. A comparison of efficacies of BCG-pulsed PLE cells and PMs to present antigen at various antigen-presenting cell (APC)/T cell ratios indicated that PMs had only marginally greater APC function than that of PLE cells. Staining with specific monoclonal antibodies indicated that the cultured PLE cells used for antigen presentation essentially comprised type I epithelial cells. Our results suggest that type I lung epithelial cells may present BCG antigens to sensitized T helper cells and that their performance as APCs is comparable with that of PMs.