Expansion of the CD4-, CD8- gamma delta T cell subset in the spleens of mice during non-lethal blood-stage malaria.
Splenic gamma delta T cells (CD4-, CD8-) increased more than 10-fold upon resolution of either Plasmodium chabaudi adami or P.c. chabaudi infections in C57BL/6 mice compared to controls. Similarly, a 10- to 20-fold expansion of the gamma delta T cell population was observed in beta 2-microglobulin deficient (beta 2-m0/0) mice that had resolved P.c. adami, P.c. chabaudi or P. yoelii yoelii infections. In contrast, increases in the number of splenic alpha beta T cells in these infected mice were only two to three-fold indicating a differential expansion of the gamma delta T cell subset during malaria. Because nucleated cells of beta 2-m0/0 mice lack surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class I and class Ib glycoproteins, our findings suggest that antigen presentation by these glycoproteins is not necessary for the increasing number of gamma delta T cells. Our observation that after resolution of P.c. adami malaria, C57BL/6 mice depleted of CD8+ cells by monoclonal antibody treatment had lower numbers of gamma delta T cells than untreated controls suggests that the demonstrated lack of CD8+ cells in beta 2-m0/0 mice does not contribute to the expansion of the gamma delta T cell population during non-lethal malaria.
van der Heyde
H C
HC
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706-1532.
Elloso
M M
MM
Roopenian
D C
DC
Manning
D D
DD
Weidanz
W P
WP
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta