A role for perforin in downregulating T-cell responses during chronic viral infection

Cytotoxic T cells secrete perforin to kill virus-infected cells. In this study we show that perforin also plays a role in immune regulation. Perforin-deficient (perf -/-) mice chronically infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) contained greater numbers of antiviral T cells compared to persistently infected +/+ mice. The enhanced expansion was seen in both CD4 and CD8 T cells, but the most striking difference was in the numbers of LCMV-specific CD8 T cells present in infected perf -/- mice. Persistent LCMV infection of +/+ mice results in both deletion and anergy of antigen-specific CD8 T cells, and our results show that this peripheral "exhaustion" of activated CD8 T cells occurred less efficiently in perf -/- mice. This excessive accumulation of activated CD8 T cells resulted in immune-mediated damage in persistently infected perf -/- mice; approximately 50% of these mice died within 2 to 4 weeks, and mortality was fully reversed by in vivo depletion of CD8 T cells. This finding highlights an interesting dichotomy between the role of perforin in viral clearance and immunopathology; perforin-deficient CD8 T cells were unable to clear the LCMV infection but were capable of causing immune-mediated damage. Finally, this study shows that perforin also plays a role in regulating T-cell-mediated autoimmunity. Mice that were deficient in both perforin and Fas exhibited a striking acceleration of the spontaneous lymphoproliferative disease seen in Fas-deficient (lpr) mice. Taken together, these results show that the perforin-mediated pathway is involved in downregulating T-cell responses during chronic viral infection and autoimmunity and that perforin and Fas act independently as negative regulators of activated T cells.     

Fas (CD95) participates in peripheral T cell deletion and associated apoptosis in vivo

Following exposure to some types of antigen (superantigens), responsive T cells expand and then decline in numbers, a phenomenon that has been called 'peripheral deletion'. This process may play a role in limiting autoimmune reactions and in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Here we describe experiments on peripheral deletion in mice carrying the lpr/lpr defect, which has been shown to be due to defective production of the CD95/Fas molecule. Young lpr/lpr mice with no apparent immunologic abnormalities display a defect in bacterial superantigen-induced peripheral deletion. Apoptotic death of the expanded T cell population associated with such peripheral deletion. Apoptotic death of the expanded T cell population associated with such peripheral deletion in normal animals is dramatically reduced in the mutant mice. Further, the levels of Fas on responding cells in normal mice increases and decreases together with increases and decreases in cell numbers, suggesting that cells with the highest levels of Fas are preferentially deleted. These observations are consistent with the known ability of CD95 to transduce a signal leading to apoptosis, and they implicate this signal transduction pathway in peripheral deletion. In contrast, bacterial superantigen-induced deletion of thymocytes appears to be fully functional in these mice, and thus Fas/APO-1 does not appear to be required for this process. Further, antibody ligation of the TCR on activated T cells from normal or young lpr/lpr mice can induce apoptosis and therefore under some circumstances this phenomenon is not dependent upon CD95/Fas. Thus, to avoid autoreactivity and ensure immune homeostasis, several different apoptotic mechanisms exist in peripheral T lymphocytes, only some of which involve Fas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Apoptotic regulation of T cells and absence of immune deficiency in virus-infected gamma interferon receptor knockout mice

Acute viral infections often induce a transient period of immune deficiency in which the host's T cells fail to proliferate in response to T-cell mitogens and fail to make an antigen-specific memory recall response. This has been associated with the enhanced sensitivity of these highly activated T cells to undergo apoptosis, or activation-induced cell death (AICD), upon T-cell receptor ligation. Here we show that gamma interferon receptor-deficient (IFN-gamma R-/-) mice mount a T-cell response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection but fail to undergo the transient immune deficiency. Instead, their T cells were hyperproliferative and relatively, but not completely, resistant to AICD. The immune response returned to homeostasis, but with delayed kinetics, in parallel with delayed clearance of the virus. Wild-type mice receiving high doses of disseminating LCMV Clone 13 are known to undergo clonal exhaustion of their virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To determine whether this process was mediated by AICD associated with IFN-gamma or with Fas-Fas ligand interactions, LCMV-specific precursor CTL frequencies were examined in LCMV Clone 13-infected IFN-gamma R-/- or lpr (Fas-deficient) mice. In both instances, viral persistence was established and CTL precursors were greatly eliminated. This finding indicates that clonal exhaustion of CTL does not require IFN-gamma or Fas, even though both molecules influence AICD and the transient immune deficiency seen in the LCMV infection.     

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes exhibiting high ex vivo cytolytic activity fail to prevent murine melanoma tumor growth in vivo

The identification of tumor-associated Ags recognized by CD8+ CTL and prevention of tumor outgrowth by adoptive transfer of these CTL demonstrates that CD8+ T cells play a major role in antitumor immunity. We have generated B16.F10 melanoma cells that express the glycoprotein epitope amino acid 33-41 (GP33) of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to examine antitumor CD8+ T cell response in C57BL/6 mice immune to LCMV and in mice transgenic for the LCMV GP33-specific P14 TCR (P14 TCR mice). We find that B16.F10GP33 tumor cells grew in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice without inducing T cell tolerance. LCMV infection or adoptive transfer of LCMV-specific effector T cells delayed but did not prevent growth of preestablished tumors in these mice. However, B16.F10GP33 tumor cells were rejected in mice immune to LCMV and in mice treated with LCMV-specific effector T cells on the same day as the tumor. Surprisingly, B16.F10GP33 tumor cells grew in P14 TCR transgenic mice despite an abundance of tumor-associated Ag-specific CD8+ T cells. In these mice, freshly isolated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes exhibited an activated phenotype and displayed high GP33-specific cytolytic activity when assessed ex vivo. Thus, B16.F10GP33 melanoma cells are able to initiate, but not to sustain, a GP33-specific CTL response sufficient to clear the tumor enduringly.     

Perforin protects against autoimmunity in lupus-prone mice

The roles of cytolytic regulatory mechanisms in the immune system of lupus-prone mice were examined in perforin-deficient animals bearing functional or defective (lpr) Fas Ag (CD95). Perforin-deficient Fas+ animals developed accelerated autoimmunity, characterized by increased hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody production, and immune deposit-related end-organ disease compared with perforin-intact counterparts. In comparison, perforin-deficient lpr animals had accelerated mortality compared with perforin-intact lpr mice, associated with the abnormal accumulation of CD3+CD4-CD8- alphabeta T cells in conjunction with unaltered hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody production, and immune complex renal disease. These results indicate that cytolytic lymphoid regulation plays critical roles in the immune homeostasis of lupus-prone animals, and identify perforin-mediated cytotoxicity as a specific mechanism in the regulation of systemic autoimmunity.     

Aplastic anemia rescued by exhaustion of cytokine-secreting CD8+ T cells in persistent infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus

Aplastic anemia may be associated with persistent viral infections that result from failure of the immune system to control virus. To evaluate the effects on hematopoiesis exerted by sustained viral replication in the presence of activated T cells, blood values and bone marrow (BM) function were analyzed in chronic infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in perforin-deficient (P0/0) mice. These mice exhibit a vigorous T cell response, but are unable to eliminate the virus. Within 14 d after infection, a progressive pancytopenia developed that eventually was lethal due to agranulocytosis and thrombocytopenia correlating with an increasing loss of morphologically differentiated, pluripotent, and committed progenitors in the BM. This hematopoietic disease caused by a noncytopathic chronic virus infection was prevented by depletion of CD8+, but not of CD4+, T cells and accelerated by increasing the frequency of LCMV-specific CD8+ T cells in T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic (tg) mice. LCMV and CD8+ T cells were found only transiently in the BM of infected wild-type mice. In contrast, increased numbers of CD8+ T cells and LCMV persisted at high levels in antigen-presenting cells of infected P0/0 and P0/0 x TCR tg mice. No cognate interaction between the TCR and hematopoietic progenitors presenting either LCMV-derived or self-antigens on the major histocompatibility complex was found, but damage to hematopoiesis was due to excessive secretion and action of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/lymphotoxin (LT)-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma produced by CD8+ T cells. This was studied in double-knockout mice that were genetically deficient in perforin and TNF receptor type 1. Compared with P0/0 mice, these mice had identical T cell compartments and T cell responses to LCMV, yet they survived LCMV infection and became life-long virus carriers. The numbers of hematopoietic precursors in the BM were increased compared with P0/0 mice after LCMV infection, although transient blood disease was still noticed. This residual disease activity was found to depend on IFN-gamma-producing LCMV-specific T cells and the time point of hematopoietic recovery paralleled disappearance of these virus-specific, IFN-gamma-producing CD8+ T cells. Thus, in the absence of IFN-gamma and/or TNF/LT-alpha, exhaustion of virus-specific T cells was not hampered.     

Characterisation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ARO8 and ARO9 genes encoding aromatic aminotransferases I and II reveals a new aminotransferase subfamily

It is known that lpr mice develop systemic lymphadenopathy and lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease that are associated with the accumulation of CD4- CD8- (double-negative; DN) CD3+ B220+ abnormal T cells as well as normal mature CD4+ or CD8+ single-positive (SP) CD3+ T cells. In order to clarify the role of B cells in the lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity of lpr mice, we created B-cell-deficient C57BL/6 (B6) lpr mice (B6lpr/lpr microMT/microMT) by crossing B6lpr/lpr mice with B6 microMT/microMT mice in which the B-cell development was arrested at pre-B stage owing to a targeted disruption of the immunoglobulin mu heavy-chain gene locus. In the B-cell-deficient B6-lpr mice, both lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly were markedly suppressed. Although the accumulation of both CD3+ B220- SP normal T cells and CD3+ B220+ DN abnormal T cells was inhibited in the B-cell-deficient lpr mice, the decrease in numbers of CD3+ B220- SP normal T cells occurred more strikingly than that of the CD3+ B220+ DN abnormal T cells. Glomerulonephritis did not develop in the B-cell-deficient lpr mice over 40 weeks. The present results indicate that the B cells thus play a crucial role in the extensive proliferation of normal CD3+ B220- mature SP T cells rather than the accumulation of abnormal DN T cells.     

Fas- and FasL-deficient mice are resistant to induction of autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease inducible in susceptible animals by myelin Ag-specific CD4+ Th1 cells. The mechanisms by which these cells induce inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS) are incompletely understood. To determine the roles of Fas and FasL in the involvement of CNS autoimmune injury, we determined susceptibility to EAE of Fas-or FasL-deficient mice. Compared with wild-type mice, mice expressing lpr (Fas) and gld (FasL) mutations were relatively resistant to the development of clinical EAE, and this correlated with fewer inflammatory infiltrates and cells undergoing apoptosis in the CNS of the mutant mice. The gld and lpr mice, however, developed significant T cell responses with production of Th1 cytokines in response to the encephalitogenic myelin peptide. These results suggest that the Fas/FasL pathway plays a critical role in the development of EAE probably by mediating apoptosis within the target tissue.     

Antigen expressed on tumor cells fails to elicit an immune response, even in the presence of increased numbers of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors

We have used T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice to analyze the interaction of tumors with the immune system. We show that the tumor cell line Lewis lung-lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LL-LCMV), genetically manipulated to express an H-2 Db-restricted epitope of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus glycoprotein (LCMV33-41), can grow progressively in TCR transgenic mice, where approximately 50% of CD8+ T cells are specific for LCMV33-41. TCR transgenic T cells were not deleted in tumor-bearing mice, and their surface phenotype and cytokine secretion patterns remained typical of naive T cells. Also, TCR transgenic T cells from tumor-bearing mice had undiminished capacity to proliferate to antigen in vitro. Tumor-protective immune responses could be elicited in TCR transgenic mice by immunization with LCMV33-41 peptide-loaded dendritic cells. Tumor resistance correlated with the switch of TCR transgenic T cells from a CD44low to a CD44high phenotype and increased capacity to produce IFNgamma in vitro. Results similar to those obtained in TCR transgenic mice were also obtained using an adoptive transfer system, where small numbers of TCR transgenic T cells were injected into normal C57BL/6 hosts. These data indicate that even large tumors may not induce specific immunization, tolerance, or anergy to tumor antigens, and that high numbers of tumor-specific CTL precursors are not sufficient to provide tumor resistance.     

Fas-mediated cytotoxicity is not required for rejection of murine nonvascularized heterotopic cardiac allografts

BACKGROUND: Using mice with loss-of-function mutations in the Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) genes (lpr and gld, respectively) in transplantation experiments has resulted in contradictory findings concerning the role of Fas/FasL-mediated cytotoxicity in allograft rejection. The observation that these mutant mice develop an abnormal lymphocyte phenotype with increasing age that is hyporesponsive in vitro led us to examine the possibility that this characteristic might explain seemingly discordant observations in the literature. Therefore, to distinguish between the effects of Fas/FasL pathway disruption and the effects of immune senescence on in vivo cytotoxicity and allograft rejection, we evaluated the survival of cardiac allografts in gld, lpr, and wild-type mice of varying ages. METHODS: Six- to 21-week-old C3H, C3H/HeJ-Fasl(gld), C57B1/6, and B6.MRL-Fas(lpr) recipients were transplanted with heterotopic, nonvascularized cardiac allografts from neonatal Balb/c, C3H, C57Bl/6, and B6.MRL-Fas(lpr) donors. Mixed lymphocyte reactions were performed in naive gld, lpr, and wild-type animals, 6 and 12 weeks of age. Rejected allografts in gld, lpr, and wild-type recipients and functioning syngeneic transplants were evaluated for intragraft apoptosis by a DNA fragmentation detection assay. RESULTS: Graft survival was not significantly different between 6-week-old gld and lpr recipients and their respective wild-type controls. However, allograft rejection was delayed significantly in older (13-week) gld mice compared with age-matched wild-type mice (P=0.02) or young (6-week) gld animals (P=0.04). Similarly, 21-week-old lpr mice exhibited prolonged graft survival compared with 6-week-old lpr animals (P=0.01). Reduced alloreactive proliferative responses in 12-week-old gld and lpr mice were observed when compared with age-matched wild-type strains. Rejecting allografts displayed a similar level of intragraft apoptotic cells regardless of mutant or wild-type phenotype or age of recipient. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study confirm that Fas/FasL-mediated cytotoxicity is not required for murine cardiac allograft rejection. Our findings also demonstrate that the observed delayed graft rejection in lpr and gld mice is a consequence of an age-related alteration of the immune system, specific to gld and lpr mice and associated with an in vivo and in vitro hyporeactivity to alloantigens.     

Spontaneous development of plasmacytoid tumors in mice with defective Fas-Fas ligand interactions

B cell malignancies arise with increased frequency in aging individuals and in patients with genetic or acquired immunodeficiency (e.g., AIDS) or autoimmune diseases. The mechanisms of lymphomagenesis in these individuals are poorly understood. In this report we investigated the possibility that mutations at the Fas (lpr) and Fasl (gld) loci, which prevent Fas-mediated apoptosis and cause an early onset benign lymphoid hyperplasia and autoimmunity, also predispose mice to malignant lymphomas later in life. Up to 6 mo of age, hyperplasia in lpr and gld mice results from the predominant accumulation of polyclonal T cell subsets and smaller numbers of polyclonal B cells and plasma cells. Here, we examined C3H-lpr, C3H-gld, and BALB-gld mice 6-15 mo of age for the emergence of clonal T and B cell populations and found that a significant proportion of aging mice exclusively developed B cell malignancies with many of the hallmarks of immunodeficiency-associated B lymphomas. By 1 yr of age, approximately 60% of BALB-gld and 30% of C3H-gld mice had monoclonal B cell populations that grew and metastasized in scid recipients but in most cases were rejected by immunocompetent mice. The tumors developed in a milieu greatly enriched for plasma cells, CD23- B cells and immunodeficient memory T cells and variably depleted of B220+ DN T cells. Growth factor-independent cell lines were established from five of the tumors. The majority of the tumors were CD23- and IgH isotype switched and a high proportion was CD5+ and dull Mac-1+. Considering their Ig secretion and morphology in vivo, most tumors were classified as malignant plasmacytoid lymphomas. The delayed development of the gld tumors indicated that genetic defects in addition to the Fas/Fasl mutations were necessary for malignant transformation. Interestingly, none of the tumors showed changes in the genomic organization of c-Myc but many had one or more somatically-acquired MuLV proviral integrations that were transmitted in scid passages and cell lines. Therefore, insertional mutagenesis may be a mechanism for transformation in gld B cells. Our panel of in vivo passaged and in vitro adapted gld lymphomas will be a valuable tool for the future identification of genetic abnormalities associated with B cell transformation in aging and autoimmune mice.     

Is epsilon-aminocaproic acid as effective as aprotinin in reducing bleeding with cardiac surgery?: a meta-analysis

Infection of BALB/c mice with Trypanosoma cruzi resulted in up-regulated expression of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) mRNA by splenic CD4+ T cells, activation-induced CD4+ T cell death (AICD), and in Fas: FasL-mediated cytotoxicity. When CD4+ T cells from infected mice were co-cultured with T. cruzi-infected macrophages, onset of AICD exacerbated parasite replication. CD4+ T cells from T. cruzi-infected FasL-deficient BALB gld/gld mice had no detectable AICD in vitro and their activation with anti-TCR did not exacerbate T. cruzi replication in macrophages. However, infection of BALB gld/gld mice with T. cruzi resulted in higher and more prolonged parasitemia, compared to wild-type mice. Secretion of Th2 cytokines IL-10 and IL-4 by CD4+ T cells from infected gld mice was markedly increased, compared to controls. In addition, in vivo injection of anti-IL-4 mAb, but not of an isotype control mAb, reduced parasitemia in both gld and wild-type mice. These results indicate that, besides controlling CD4+ T cell AICD and parasite replication in vitro, an intact Fas: FasL pathway also controls the host cytokine response to T. cruzi infection in vivo, being required to prevent an exacerbated Th2-type immune response to the parasite.     

Kinetics of the response of naive and memory CD8 T cells to antigen: similarities and differences

We have studied the kinetics of the antigen induced response of naive and memory CD8 T cells expressing a transgenic T cell receptor (TCR) specific for the glycoprotein peptide amino acid 33-41 (GP33) of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Memory T cells were generated in vivo by adoptive transfer of LCMV TCR transgenic T cells into normal recipient mice, followed by LCMV infection. The results demonstrated that the cell cycle progression and kinetics of TCR down-modulation, CD25 and CD69 up-regulation were identical in naive and memory T cells after antigen recognition. Moreover, the two T cell populations did not differ in respect of activation thresholds and in their proliferative capacities neither in vitro nor in vivo. However, memory CD8 T cells could be more rapidly induced to become cytolytic and to secrete high levels of interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma than naive T cells. LCMV GP33-specific CD8 memory T cells were only slightly more efficient in reducing LCMV titers in the spleen but were far more effective than naive LCMV GP33-specific T cells in controlling subcutaneous tumor growth of B16.F10 melanoma cells which expressed the LCMV GP33 epitope as tumor-associated antigen. Thus, in our experiments the main difference between CD8 memory T cells and naive cells is the ability of the former to rapidly acquire effector cell functions.     

Transfer of lymphocytic choriomeningitis disease in beta 2-microglobulin-deficient mice by CD4+ T cells

In this study we have investigated the role of CD4+, MHC class II-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the disease caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in beta 2-microglobulin deficient (beta 2m-) mice. Intracranial (i.c.) infection with LCMV resulted in death of six out of 11 beta 2m- mice. Mice that survived showed a marked loss in body weight. Death and loss of body weight could be prevented by immunosuppressing the mice with irradiation or cyclosporine prior to i.c. injection of LCMV. This treatment also prevented induction of virus-specific, MHC class II-restricted CTL following peripheral inoculation with LCMV. In vivo depletion of CD4+ cells with antibody also prevented death following i.c. injection whereas in vivo depletion of CD8+ cells had no effect. Disease could be transferred to recipient beta 2m- mice by adoptive transfer of beta 2m- derived immune spleen cells. Transfer of non-immune spleen cells did not result in illness. In vitro treatment of immune spleen cells with anti-CD4 antibody and complement eliminated class II-restricted CTL activity and also prevented mortality of recipients after adoptive transfer. Treatment with anti-CD8 antibody had no effect. We were unable to transfer LCM disease to beta 2m- recipients by adoptive transfer of immune spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that, unlike normal mice, the pathology of LCM disease in beta 2m- mice is dependent upon virus-specific, CD4+CD8-, MHC class II-restricted T cells.     

Bcl-2 prevents apoptosis induced by perforin and granzyme B, but not that mediated by whole cytotoxic lymphocytes

Two pathways have been implicated in the induction of apoptosis by cytotoxic T cells: the granule exocytosis pathway and a pathway using CD95 (Fas/APO-1). To test whether apoptosis induced by either of these pathways could be blocked by Bcl-2, we exposed bcl-2-transfected cells to CTL derived from normal, perforin-deficient, or CD95 ligand mutant (gld) mice. Although the levels of Bcl-2 expression achieved were able to protect FDC-P1 and Yac-1 transfectants from a variety of apoptotic stimuli, the cells were not protected from cytolysis mediated by CTL from any of these sources, by NK cells, or granules isolated from CTL. However, Bcl-2 expression significantly inhibited apoptosis induced by purified granzyme B and perforin. These results suggest that while Bcl-2 is capable of inhibiting the apoptotic pathway utilized by perforin and granzyme B, other granule components can bypass this block. We conclude that CTL harbor potent killing mechanism(s) in addition to those provided by CD95 ligand or perforin and granzyme B that cannot be overcome by Bcl-2.     

Enzyme kinetics and biochemical analysis of ImiS, the metallo-beta-lactamase from Aeromonas sobria 163a

The Fas molecule mediates apoptotic signal in many cell types. Mouse mutations (lpr, lprcg, gld), which impair the function of Fas, cause spontaneous autoimmune disease. We generated Fas-deficient (Fas-/-) mice by homologous recombination. In embryonic stem cells Fas-/- mice developed lpr-like disease, confirming that the abnormality of Fas is causal in the lpr phenotype. We also made Fas-/- chimeric mice composed of a mixture of Fas+/+ and Fas-/- cells. The chimeric mice also showed the lpr phenotype. In Fas-/-, chimeric mice, the Fas-deficient population expanded progressively among mature T and B lymphocytes. The expansion of Fas-deficient lymphocytes occurred at the naive, pre-primed, lymphocyte stage. These results suggest that the Fas molecule functions not only after antigenic stimulation, as previously hypothesized, but also at the naive lymphocyte stage.     

Induction and exhaustion of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes visualized using soluble tetrameric major histocompatibility complex class I-peptide complexes

This study describes the construction of soluble major histocompatibility complexes consisting of the mouse class I molecule, H-2Db, chemically biotinylated beta2 microglobulin and a peptide epitope derived from the glycoprotein (GP; amino acids 33-41) of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Tetrameric class I complexes, which were produced by mixing the class I complexes with phycoerythrin-labeled neutravidin, permitted direct analysis of virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) by flow cytometry. This technique was validated by (a) staining CD8+ cells in the spleens of transgenic mice that express a T cell receptor (TCR) specific for H-2Db in association with peptide GP33-41, and (b) by staining virus-specific CTLs in the cerebrospinal fluid of C57BL/6 (B6) mice that had been infected intracranially with LCMV-DOCILE. Staining of spleen cells isolated from B6 mice revealed that up to 40% of CD8(+) T cells were GP33 tetramer+ during the initial phase of LCMV infection. In contrast, GP33 tetramers did not stain CD8+ T cells isolated from the spleens of B6 mice that had been infected 2 mo previously with LCMV above the background levels found in naive mice. The fate of virus-specific CTLs was analyzed during the acute phase of infection in mice challenged both intracranially and intravenously with a high or low dose of LCMV-DOCILE. The results of the study show that the outcome of infection by LCMV is determined by antigen load alone. Furthermore, the data indicate that deletion of virus-specific CTLs in the presence of excessive antigen is preceded by TCR downregulation and is dependent upon perforin.     

Mucosal immunity to herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in the mouse vagina is impaired by in vivo depletion of T lymphocytes

Intravaginal (IVAG) inoculation of wild-type herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in mice causes epithelial infection followed by lethal neurological illness, while IVAG inoculation of attenuated HSV-2 causes epithelial infection followed by development of protective immunity against subsequent IVAG challenge with wild-type virus. The role of T cells in this immunity was studied by in vivo depletion of these cells with monoclonal antibodies. Three groups of mice were used for each experiment: nonimmune/challenged mice, immune/challenged mice, and immune depleted mice [immune mice depleted of a T-cell subset(s) shortly before challenge with HSV-2]. Mice were assessed for epithelial infection 24 h after challenge, virus protein in the vaginal lumen 3 days after challenge, and neurological illness 8 to 14 days after challenge. Monoclonal antibodies to CD4, CD8, or Thy-1 markedly reduced T cells in blood, spleen, and vagina, but major histocompatibility complex class II antigens were still partially upregulated in the vaginal epithelium after virus challenge, indicating that virus-specific memory T-cell function was not entirely eliminated from the vagina. Nevertheless, immune mice depleted of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, Thy-1+ T cells, or CD8+ T cells alone had greater viral infection in the vaginal epithelium than nondepleted immune mice, indicating that T cells contribute to immunity against vaginal HSV-2 infection. All immune depleted mice retained substantial immunity to epithelial infection and were immune to neurological illness, suggesting that other immune mechanisms such as virus-specific antibody may also contribute to immunity.     

CD8+ T cells in intracellular bacterial infections of mice

In the normal course of an immune response, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells respond to each of the bacterial pathogens we have discussed and both responses may be required for the most potent immunity to infection. In this discussion, we have focused on the ability of these organisms to prime CD8+ T-cell responses in vivo and the ability of CD8+ T cells as sole mediators of acquired immunity, to protect against infection. It is clear that the vacuolar location of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella or Mycobacteria does not prevent in vivo priming of CD8+ T-cell responses to these pathogens. However, vacuolar localization may affect the potency of CD8+ T-cell responses under experimental conditions that assess the capacity of CD8+ T cells as the sole mediators of acquired immunity. In the case of cytoplasmic L. monocytogenes, clear evidence exists that antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, in the absence of immune CD4+ T cells, can provide substantial acquired immunity to naive mice. Similar clear experimental results with Salmonella and Mycobacteria are lacking. Such results would provide stronger support for vaccines that elicit CD8+ T-cell responses to these vacuolar pathogens. Although our discussion has focused on only three specific organisms, we suggest that detection of an in vivo CD8+ T-cell response to a bacterial antigen does not ensure that the response will be protective against infection in a vaccine setting. In the case of Salmonella and Mycobacteria, this issue remains unresolved.