title: Beta 2-microglobulin/CD8 -/- mice reveal significant role for CD8+ T cells in graft rejection responses in beta 2-microglobulin -/- mice.
abstract: Beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) -/- mice have often been used as a model to investigate host resistance to grafted tissues in the absence of CD8+ T cells. However, the realization that beta 2m -/- mice have a small pool of CD8+ T cells imply that these cells may take part in immune responses in vivo. To directly address the role of CD8+ T cell responses in beta 2m -/- mice, we introduced a CD8 null mutation into these mice. The beta 2m/CD8 -/- mice and the corresponding control mice were primed, and challenged with syngeneic tumour grafts. While beta 2m -/- mice readily cleared such tumour grafts, similar tumour grafts grew progressively in a dose dependent manner in the beta 2m/CD8 -/- mice. The present results imply that residual CD8+ T cells in beta 2m -/- mice may carry out significant biological functions, and suggest that studies using beta 2m -/- mice as a model for CD8+ T cell deficiency must be regarded with some caution.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Tumour Biology Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freland
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ljunggren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin