SummaryCostimulation mediated by the CD28 molecule plays an important role in optimal activation of T cells. However, CD28-deficient mice can mount effective T cell-dependent immune responses, suggesting the existence of other costimulatory systems. In a search for other costimulatory molecules on T cells, we have developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that can costimulate T cells in the absence of antigen-presenting cells (APC). The molecule recognized by this mAb, 9D3, was found to be expressed on almost all mature T cells and to be a protein of ,'-~24 kD molecular mass. By expression cloning, this molecule was identified as CD9. 9D3 (anti-CD9) synergized with suboptimal doses of anti-CD3 mAb in inducing proliferation by virgin T cells. Costimulation was induced by independent ligation of CD3 and CD9, suggesting that colocalization of these two molecules is not required for T cell activation. The costimulation by anti-CD9 was as potent as that by anti-CD28. Moreover, anti-CD9 costimulated in a CD28-independent way because anti-CD9 equally costimulated T cells from the CD28-deficient as well as wild-type mice. Thus, these results indicate that CD9 serves as a molecule on T cells that can deliver a potent CD28-independent costimulatory signal.
Full activation of the T cell has been shown to require two independent signals (1). The first signal is provided by antigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) interacting with processed antigen peptides plus major histocompatibitity complex (MHC) molecules on APC. This signal leads to an effective T cell response only when accompanied by a second costimulatory signal(s) presented by the APC. The lack of costimulation not only prevents activation but also induces tolerance called anergy (1). Identifying molecules capable of delivering costimulatory signals has been the subject of a large number of recent investigations (2-5). CD28 expressed on T cells was found to be a receptor for the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 on APC (6). CD28 engagement, by either anti-CD28 mAb or ligands (CD80/ CD86), has been shown to costimulate T cells in the absence of APC, resulting in T cell activation (7-9). Conversely, the blocking of CD28-1igand interactions induced substantial inhibition of T cell activation (2). These observations indicated that the CD28-CD80/CD86 interaction functions as a critical pathway of T cell costimulation. Nevertheless, recent studies have revealed that CD28-deficient mice can develop normal in vivo immune responses (10) and that T cells from these mice mount APC-dependent responses for T cell activa~:ion in vitro although the response is reduced compared to T cells from wild-type mice (10, 11). Thus, these results strongly suggest that there may exist other molecules capable of providing costimulatory activity.In this report, we have developed a rat IgG mAb (9D3) by immunization with cells of a murine thymic stromal clone (12). This mAb recognized a protein of"-,24 kD that is expressed on immunizing thymic stromal cells as well as murine T cells. By cDNA expr...