title: A transgenic mouse model genetically tags all activated CD8 T cells.
abstract: Identifying and characterizing Ag-specific CD8+ T cells are central to the study of immunological memory. Although powerful strategies such as MHC tetramers and peptide-induced cytokine production assays exist for identifying Ag-specific CD8+ T cells, alternate strategies that are not dependent upon a priori knowledge of the immunodominant and subdominant antigenic epitopes, as well as the MHC background of the animal are of obvious utility. In this study, we present a transgenic mouse model that uses Cre-loxP recombination to permanently mark all activated CD8+ T cells with beta-galactosidase. We used the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model to track the dynamics of the antiviral CD8+ T cell responses. We show that in this transgenic mouse model system, all of the antiviral effector and memory CD8+ T cells are contained within the beta-gal-marked CD8+ T cell population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Maris
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: Joshy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacob
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000235:genetics*; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D001616:beta-Galactosidase