title: Visualization, characterization, and turnover of CD8+ memory T cells in virus-infected hosts.
abstract: The cellular basis of T cell memory is a controversial issue and progress has been hampered by the inability to induce and to trace long-term memory T cells specific for a defined antigen in vivo. By using the murine model of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection and an adoptive transfer system with CD8+ T cells from transgenic mice expressing an LCMV-specific T cell receptor, a population of authentic memory T cells specific for LCMV was generated and analyzed in vivo. The transgenic T cells that have expanded (1,000-fold) and then decreased (10-fold) in LCMV-infected C57BL/6 recipient mice exhibited the following characteristics: they were (a) of larger average cell size than their naive counterparts but smaller than day 8 effector cells; (b) heterogeneous with respect to expression of cell surface "memory" markers; and (c) directly cytolytic when isolated from recipient spleens. The time-dependent proliferative activity of these LCMV-specific memory T cells was analyzed in the recipients by bromodeoxyuridine labeling experiments in vivo. The experiments revealed that LCMV-specific CD8+ memory T cells can persist in LCMV-immune mice for extended periods of time (>2 mo) in the absence of cell division; the memory population as a whole survived beyond 11 mo.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Department of Immunology, University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brduscha-Riem
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaser
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pircher
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D014764:Viral Proteins