Antigen Recognition Detains CD8+ T Cells at the Blood-Brain Barrier and Contributes to Its Breakdown

Investigators showed that brain endothelial cells process and cross-present antigen, leading to effector CD8+ T cell differentiation. Under physiological flow in vitro, endothelial antigen presentation prevented CD8+ T cell crawling and diapedesis resulting in brain endothelial cell apoptosis and blood-brain barrier breakdown.