| First Author | Kassiotis G | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 173 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 7292-8 |
| PubMed ID | 15585852 | Mgi Jnum | J:151741 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4355130 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.173.12.7292 |
| Citation | Kassiotis G, et al. (2004) Anatomical heterogeneity of memory CD4+ T cells due to reversible adaptation to the microenvironment. J Immunol 173(12):7292-8 |
| abstractText | The memory T cell pool is characterized by a substantial degree of heterogeneity in phenotype and function as well as anatomical distribution, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study we confirm that the memory CD4(+) T cell pool in wild-type and TCR-transgenic mice consists of heterogeneous subsets, as defined by surface marker expression or cytokine production. Extralymphoid sites contain significant numbers of memory CD4(+) T cells, which are phenotypically and functionally distinct from their lymphoid counterparts. However, we show in this study that the phenotype of lymphoid and extralymphoid memory T cells is not stable. Instead, the unique properties of extralymphoid memory T cells are acquired upon migration into extralymphoid sites and are lost when memory T cells migrate back into lymphoid organs. Thus, at least some of the extralymphoid properties may represent a transient activation state that can be adopted by T cells belonging to a single memory T cell pool. Furthermore, such intermittent activation during or after migration into extralymphoid sites could provide an important signal, promoting the survival and functional competence of memory T cells in the absence of Ag. |
