title: CD4+ and CD8+ T cells mediate adoptive immunity to aerosol infection of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin.
abstract: An adoptive-transfer model using recombinase activation gene-deficient (RAG-1-/-) mice was developed to evaluate CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to infection with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). After receiving immune, unfractionated T cells or T cell subsets isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorter, the RAG-1-/- mice were exposed to aerosol BCG, and the bacteria load in the infected organs was examined 4 weeks later. Adoptive immunity was expressed more effectively in the spleens than in the lungs. Although CD4+ or unfractionated T cells protected both lungs and spleens, CD8+ T cells conferred significant protection only in the spleens and not in the lungs. The results confirm that in addition to CD4+, CD8+ T cells also play a role in the prevention of bacterial dissemination. This transfer model may be useful for dissecting T cell responses to mycobacterial infection.
authors.affiliation: Mycobacterial Research Group, Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Britton
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016654:Genes, RAG-1; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C064658:RAG-1 protein