| First Author | Haluszczak C | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 206 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 435-48 |
| PubMed ID | 19188498 | Mgi Jnum | J:146643 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3838081 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.20081829 |
| Citation | Haluszczak C, et al. (2009) The antigen-specific CD8+ T cell repertoire in unimmunized mice includes memory phenotype cells bearing markers of homeostatic expansion. J Exp Med 206(2):435-48 |
| abstractText | Memory T cells exhibit superior responses to pathogens and tumors compared with their naive counterparts. Memory is typically generated via an immune response to a foreign antigen, but functional memory T cells can also be produced from naive cells by homeostatic mechanisms. Using a recently developed method, we studied CD8 T cells, which are specific for model (ovalbumin) and viral (HSV, vaccinia) antigens, in unimmunized mice and found a subpopulation bearing markers of memory cells. Based on their phenotypic markers and by their presence in germ-free mice, these preexisting memory-like CD44(hi) CD8 T cells are likely to arise via physiological homeostatic proliferation rather than a response to environmental microbes. These antigen-inexperienced memory phenotype CD8 T cells display several functions that distinguish them from their CD44(lo) counterparts, including a rapid initiation of proliferation after T cell stimulation and rapid IFN-gamma production after exposure to proinflammatory cytokines. Collectively, these data indicate that the unprimed antigen-specific CD8 T cell repertoire contains antigen-inexperienced cells that display phenotypic and functional traits of memory cells. |
