MICA Engagement by Human V gamma 2V delta 2 T Cells Enhances Their Antigen-Dependent Effector Function

V gamma 2V delta 2 T cells comprise 2%-5% of human peripheral blood T cells, recognize ubiquitous nonpeptide antigens, and expand up to 50-fold during microbial infection. It is not clear why these V gamma 2V delta 2 T cells expand only after microbial infection. We show here that the stress-inducible molecule, MICA, is induced on the surface of dendritic and epithelial cells by infection with M. tuberculosis in vitro and in vivo. MICA engagement by the activating receptor, NKG2D, present on V gamma 2V delta 2 T cells, resulted in a substantial enhancement of the TCR-dependent V gamma 2V delta 2 T cell response to nonpeptide antigens and protein superantigens alike. Thus, a MICA-NKG2D interaction may be necessary for an effective innate immune response to microbe-associated antigens that also are constitutively present in vivo.