Size and frequency characteristics of alpha beta and gamma delta T cells in the spleens of normal and cyclophosphamide-suppressed virus-infected chickens.
The characteristics of avian lymphocytes expressing surface CD8 (CT8) and T cell receptor (TCR) glycoproteins have been monitored by two-color flow microfluorimetry. Exposure of 1-month-old birds to a lethal influenza A virus, which is known to be lympholytic, significantly decreased the frequency of both the alpha beta TCR2+CT8+ and gamma delta TCR1+CT8- subsets in spleen. However, all categories of T cells showed evidence of greater mean cell size, indicating that they are responding. Inoculation of baby chicks with fowl pox virus induced a response more typical of specific immunity in the TCR2+CT8+ set, in that the lymphocytes increased in both frequency and mean cell size. Greater numbers of lymphoblasts were also found for the TCR2+CT8-, TCR1+CT8+, and TCR1+CT8- subsets, but the total cell counts for the minority TCR1+CT8- cells in spleen were consistently decreased. Immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide prior to infection eliminated 90% of the white blood cells from spleen, with the greatest effect being on the TCR1+ populations. The CT8+ alpha beta T cell response in chick spleen following exposure to a poxvirus is thus comparable to the situation observed for this subset of lymphocytes in mice infected with other viruses. However, although the gamma delta T cells increase in size, their frequency in spleen either does not change (CT8+) or is significantly decreased (CT8-).
Banbura
M
M
Department of Virology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.
Webster
R G
RG
Cooper
M
M
Doherty
P C
PC
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005586:Fowlpox / Q000276:immunology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D003520:Cyclophosphamide