| First Author | Snyder CM | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 183 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 3932-41 |
| PubMed ID | 19692644 | Mgi Jnum | J:152322 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4358012 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.0900227 |
| Citation | Snyder CM, et al. (2009) CD4+ T cell help has an epitope-dependent impact on CD8+ T cell memory inflation during murine cytomegalovirus infection. J Immunol 183(6):3932-41 |
| abstractText | Murine CMV (MCMV) establishes a systemic, low-level persistent infection resulting in the accumulation of CD8(+) T cells specific for a subset of viral epitopes, a process called memory inflation. Although replicating virus is rarely detected in chronically infected C57BL/6 mice, these inflationary cells display a phenotype suggestive of repeated Ag stimulation, and they remain functional. CD4(+) T cells have been implicated in maintaining the function and/or number of CD8(+) T cells in other chronic infections. Moreover, CD4(+) T cells are essential for complete control of MCMV. Thus, we wondered whether CD4(+) T cell deficiency would result in impaired MCMV-specific CD8(+) T cell responses. Here we show that CD4(+) T cell deficiency had an epitope-specific impact on CD8(+) T cell memory inflation. Of the three codominant T cell responses during chronic infection, only accumulation of the late-appearing IE3-specific CD8(+) T cells was substantially impaired in CD4(+) T cell-deficient mice. Moreover, the increased viral activity did not drive increased CD8(+) T cell division or substantial dysfunction in any MCMV-specific population that we studied. These data show that CD4(+) T cell help is needed for inflation of a response that develops only during chronic infection but is otherwise dispensable for the steady state maintenance and function of MCMV-specific CD8(+) T cells. |
