Blockade of BAFF Receptor BR3 on T Cells Enhances Their Activation and Cytotoxicity.

The BAFF receptor BR3 plays key roles in B-cell activation, maturation, and survival whereas the function of BR3 on T lymphocytes is less well characterized. Previous reports have demonstrated that BR3 costimulates human T-cell activation in vitro in the presence of high nonphysiological levels of plate-bound BAFF. Here, relying on the soluble and membrane-bound BAFF expressed by T cells themselves, we investigated the function of BR3 on activated primary CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes using a BR3-specific neutralization antibody and shRNA gene down-modulation.