title: Perforin and Fas killing by CD8+ T cells limits their cytokine synthesis and proliferation.
abstract: During an immune response, effector CD8+ T cells can kill infected cells by the perforin-dependent pathway. In comparison to CD4+ T cells, which are major sources of cytokines, normal CD8+ T cells produced less interleukin 2 and interferon gamma, and proliferated less vigorously after antigenic stimulation. Killing of target cells was a major cause of these reduced responses, since perforin-deficient CD8+ T cells showed substantially increased cytokine synthesis and proliferation. Cytotoxicity by the alternate Fas pathway also resulted in self-limitation of CD8+ T cell cytokine synthesis. This relationship between cytotoxicity and cytokine synthesis may regulate CD8+ T function in different phases of an immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sad
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kägi
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Mosmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D054353:Perforin; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor; D054353:Perforin