| First Author | Jeitziner SM | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 2886-95 |
| PubMed ID | 23921569 | Mgi Jnum | J:203005 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5523752 | Doi | 10.1002/eji.201343690 |
| Citation | Jeitziner SM, et al. (2013) Adoptive transfer of cytomegalovirus-specific effector CD4(+) T cells provides antiviral protection from murine CMV infection. Eur J Immunol 43(11):2886-95 |
| abstractText | Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects a majority of the human population and establishes a life-long persistence. CMV infection is usually asymptomatic but the virus carries pathogenic potential and causes severe disease in immunocompromised individuals. T-cell-mediated immunity plays an essential role in control of CMV infection and adoptive transfer of CMV-specific CD8(+) T cells restores viral immunity in immunosuppressed patients but a role for CD4(+) T cells remains elusive. Here, we analyzed in adoptive transfer studies the features and antiviral functions of virus-specific CD4(+) T cells during primary murine CMV (MCMV) infection. MCMV-specific CD4(+) T cells expanded upon MCMV infection and displayed an effector phenotype and function. Adoptive transfer of in vivo activated MCMV-specific CD4(+) T cells to immune-compromised mice was protective during pathogenic MCMV infection and IFN-gamma was a crucial mediator of this protective capacity. Moreover, co-transfer of low doses of both MCMV-specific CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells synergized in control of lytic viral replication in immune-compromised mice. Our data reveal a pivotal antiviral role for virus-specific CD4(+) T cells in protection from pathogenic CMV infection and provide evidence for their antiviral therapeutic potential. |
