Influenza nucleoprotein-specific cytotoxic T-cell clones are protective in vivo.
Influenza nucleoprotein (NP) serves as a target antigen on abortively infected cells for cytotoxic T cells (Tc) cross-reactive for all type A influenza viruses, and it can also prime mice for such Tc. It is important to test the protective ability of NP-specific Tc clones in vivo in a productive influenza infection. In this report, we show that Tc clones of this antigenic specificity protect mice against a lethal influenza infection on transfer to syngeneic recipients, and also that they reduce virus titres in the lungs and trachea of mice challenged with homologous or heterologous type A influenza viruses. Simultaneous injection of IL-2 to maintain the viability of the Tc clones is not essential, but has made the clonal transfer experiments highly reproducible.
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes