Cruz-Adalia, AránzazuRamirez-Santiago, GuillermoOsuna-Pérez, JesúsTorres-Torresano, MónicaZorita, VirginiaMartínez-Riaño, AnaBoccasavia, ViolaBorroto, AldoMartinez del Hoyo, GloriaGonzalez-Granado, Jose MariaAlarcón, BalbinoSanchez-Madrid, FranciscoVeiga, Esteban2019-02-252019-02-252017Nat Commun. 2017; 8(1):15912041-1723http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/7229Bacterial phagocytosis and antigen cross-presentation to activate CD8+ T cells are principal functions of professional antigen presenting cells. However, conventional CD4+ T cells also capture and kill bacteria from infected dendritic cells in a process termed transphagocytosis (also known as transinfection). Here, we show that transphagocytic T cells present bacterial antigens to naive CD8+ T cells, which proliferate and become cytotoxic in response. CD4+ T-cell-mediated antigen presentation also occurs in vivo in the course of infection, and induces the generation of central memory CD8+ T cells with low PD-1 expression. Moreover, transphagocytic CD4+ T cells induce protective anti-tumour immune responses by priming CD8+ T cells, highlighting the potential of CD4+ T cells as a tool for cancer immunotherapy.engVoRhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/AnimalsAntigen PresentationAntigens, BacterialCD4-Positive T-LymphocytesCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesCells, CulturedCross-PrimingCytotoxicity, ImmunologicImmunologic MemoryImmunological SynapsesMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicPhagocytosisProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorAtribución-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional2914702281159110.1038/s41467-017-01661-72041-1723Nature communicationsopen access