Attrition of T cell memory: selective loss of LCMV epitope-specific memory CD8 T cells following infections with heterologous viruses.
Using a variety of techniques, including limiting dilution assays (LDA), intracellular IFNgamma assays, and Db-IgG1 MHC dimer staining to measure viral peptide-specific T cell number and function, we show here that heterologous virus infections quantitatively delete and qualitatively alter the memory pool of T cells specific to a previously encountered virus. We also show that a prior history of a virus infection can alter the hierarchy of the immunodominant peptide response to a second virus and that virus infections selectively reactivate memory T cells with distinct specificities to earlier viruses. These results are consistent with a model for the immune system that accommodates memory T cell populations for multiple pathogens over the course of a lifetime.
Selin
L K
LK
Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester 01655, USA.
Lin
M Y
MY
Kraemer
K A
KA
Pardoll
D M
DM
Schneck
J P
JP
Varga
S M
SM
Santolucito
P A
PA
Pinto
A K
AK
Welsh
R M
RM
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D019281:Dimerization; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D064532:Histocompatibility Antigen H-2D; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D018052:Pichinde virus / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000276:immunology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D064532:Histocompatibility Antigen H-2D; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C113249:T cell receptor peptide Vbeta8.1; D007371:Interferon-gamma