Effect of CD137 (4-1BB) triggering on human monocytes

The cell surface glycoprotein CD137, which is also known as 4-1BB, belongs to the group of co-stimulatory immune receptors and is a member of the TNF receptor superfamily (TNFRSF). It is preferentially found on activated T-cells and regulatory T-cells. In T-cells, CD137-crosslinking delivers a potent co-stimulatory signal as it promotes T-cell proliferation, formation of memory cells and enhances survival. Despite numerous studies investigating the effects of co-stimulatory CD137 in T-cells, little is known regarding the role of CD137 in human monocytes/macrophages. To investigate the effect of CD137 triggering on human monocytes, monocytes were isolated and treated with an agonistic CD137 mAb and subsequently analyzed by RNA-seq. Monocytes from three different healthy donors were cultured with or without agonistic CD137 mAb followed by RNAseq analysis.