Intrahepatic alpha beta-TcRintermediate LFA-1high T cells are stimulated during mouse hepatitis viral infection.
Mouse hepatitis virus type 3 (MHV3), a coronavirus, is an excellent animal model for the study of thymic and extrathymic T cell subpopulation disorders induced during the viral hepatitis. To understand local hepatic immune responses, the phenotypes of resident hepatic lymphocytes were determined and compared that of splenic and thymic T cell subpopulations during the acute viral hepatitis induced by MHV3 in susceptible C57BL/6 mice. Single positive (SP) CD4+ or CD8+ cells strongly increased in the liver. A specific cell population, the double positive (CD4+ C8+) cells, normally present in liver and thymic cell preparations, decreased in C57BL/6 mice following the viral infection. alpha beta-TcRintermediate T cells shifted toward alpha beta-TcRhigh T cells in the liver and thymus of infected mice, but not in their spleen. The specific alpha beta-TcRint or high lymphocytes occurring in the liver of MHV3-infected mice expressed higher levels of leukocyte function antigen-1 (LFA-1) and Pgp-1 (CD44) activation markers, suggesting that they were either activated or antigen-experienced during the viral infection. No significant changes in T cell subpopulations were detected in the spleen. These observations suggest that MHV3 infection could induce an early in situ stimulation of resident hepatic T cells, despite a peripheral immunodeficiency in the thymus and spleen.
Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.
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D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis*
D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta