CD95 (Fas) may control the expansion of activated T cells after elimination of bacteria in murine listeriosis.
CD95 (Fas) is known to mediate activation-induced T-cell death by apoptosis. To understand the role of CD95 during the course of bacterial infection, we examined the kinetics of alphabeta and gammadelta T cells in the peritoneal cavities and livers of 5-week-old CD95-defective MRL/lpr mice after an intraperitoneal infection with Listeria monocytogenes. The number of bacteria in the spleen decreased to an undetectable level by day 10 after infection with 7 x 10(3) Listeria cells similar to the number in MRL/+/+ mice. The number of alphabeta T cells expressing CD44 and CD95 reached a maximum in the peritoneal cavity on day 6 after listerial infection and thereafter decreased gradually in MRL/+/+ mice, whereas CD44+ alphabeta T cells without CD95 expression continued to increase throughout the course of listerial infection in MRL/lpr mice. Freshly isolated T cells from MRL/+/+ mice infected with L. monocytogenes 10 days previously showed DNA fragmentation with apoptosis, whereas such fragmentation was not prominent in T cells from infected MRL/lpr mice. In correlation with the increased number of CD44+ alphabeta T cells, Listeria-specific T-cell proliferation of peritoneal exudate cells was significantly greater in MRL/lpr mice than in MRL/+/+ mice on day 10 after listerial infection. In contrast to alphabeta T cells, gammadelta T cells increased in number only transiently in the peritoneal cavity and liver after listerial infection in both MRL/lpr mice and MRL/+/+ mice. These results suggest that CD95-mediated cell death with apoptosis may be involved in termination of the alphabeta-T-cell-mediated immune response after the battle against L. monocytogenes has been won, whereas gammadelta T cells may undergo apoptosis independently of CD95 during the course of listerial infection.
Fuse
Y
Y
Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University Branch Hospital, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nishimura
H
H
Maeda
K
K
Yoshikai
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000276:immunology; D007700:Kinetics; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019463:Mice, Inbred MRL lpr; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000502:physiology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000502:physiology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017252:CD3 Complex; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D019014:fas Receptor