title: Antiviral immune responses in the absence of organized lymphoid T cell zones in plt/plt mice.
abstract: The paucity of lymph node (LN) T cells (plt) mutation in mice results in strongly reduced T cell numbers in LNs and homing defects of both dendritic cells (DCs) and naive T cells. In this study, we investigated the functional significance of the plt phenotype for the generation of antiviral immune responses against cytopathic and noncytopathic viruses. We found that DC-CD8(+) T cell contacts and the initial priming of virus-specific T cells in plt/plt mice occurred mainly in the marginal zone of the spleen and in the superficial cortex of LNs. The magnitude of the initial response and the maintenance of protective memory responses in plt/plt mice was only slightly reduced compared with plt/+ controls. Furthermore, plt/plt mice mounted rapid neutralizing antiviral B cell responses and displayed normal Ig class switch. Our data indicate that the defective homing of DCs and naive T cells resulting from the plt/plt mutation results in a small, but not significant, effect on the induction of protective antiviral T and B cell immunity. Overall, we conclude that the spatial organization of secondary lymphoid T cell zones via the CCR7-CC chemokine ligand 19/CC chemokine ligand 21 pathway is not an absolute requirement for the initial priming and the maintenance of protective antiviral T and B cell responses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. cayenne@pathol.unizh.ch
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Junt
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Tilman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dumrese
authors.forename: Terutaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakiuchi
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Odermatt
authors.forename: Rolf M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hengartner
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ludewig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000235:genetics; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000276:immunology; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006023:Glycoproteins; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D014764:Viral Proteins; C115679:glycoprotein peptide, Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus