| First Author | Haanen JB | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 190 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 1319-28 |
| PubMed ID | 10544203 | Mgi Jnum | J:58320 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1347210 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.190.9.1319 |
| Citation | Haanen JB, et al. (1999) Selective expansion of cross-reactive CD8(+) memory T cells by viral variants. J Exp Med 190(9):1319-28 |
| abstractText | The role of memory T cells during the immune response against random antigenic variants has not been resolved. Here, we show by simultaneous staining with two tetrameric major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide molecules, that the polyclonal CD8(+) T cell response against a series of natural variants of the influenza A nucleoprotein epitope is completely dominated by infrequent cross-reactive T cells that expand from an original memory population. Based on both biochemical and functional criteria, these cross-reactive cytotoxic T cells productively recognize both the parental and the mutant epitope in vitro and in vivo. These results provide direct evidence that the repertoire of antigen-specific T cells used during an infection critically depends on prior antigen encounters, and indicate that polyclonal memory T cell populations can provide protection against a range of antigenic variants. |
