Prolonged presence of effector-memory CD8 T cells in the central nervous system after dengue virus encephalitis.
Dengue virus infection in the central nervous system (CNS) of immunized mice results in a strong influx of CD8 T cells into the brain. Whereas the kinetics of the splenic antiviral response are conventional, i.e. expansion followed by a rapid drop in the frequency of specific CD8 T cells, dengue virus-specific CD8 T cells are retained in the CNS at a high frequency. These CD8 T cells display a partially activated phenotype (CD69(high), Ly-6A/E(high), CD62L(low)), characteristic for effector-memory T cells. CD43 expression, visualized by staining with the 1B11 mAb, decreased in time, suggesting that these persisting CD8 T cells differentiated into memory cells. These data add to the growing evidence implicating the CNS as a non-lymphoid tissue capable of supporting prolonged T cell survival/maintenance.
van der Most
Robbert G
RG
Emory Vaccine Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. r.g.vandermost@vet.uu.nl
Murali-Krishna
Kaja
K
Ahmed
Rafi
R
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology*; D003715:Dengue / Q000276:immunology*; D003716:Dengue Virus; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology