title: CD8+ T cell contraction is controlled by early inflammation.
abstract: Pathogen-specific CD8(+) T cells expand in number after infection and then their numbers invariably contract by 90-95%, leaving a stable memory cell pool. The chief features of this response are programmed early after infection; however, the factors regulating contraction are mostly undefined. Here we show that antibiotic treatment before Listeria monocytogenes infection induced numbers of protective memory CD8(+) T cells similar to those in control infected mice, by a pathway without contraction. The absence of contraction correlated with decreased early inflammation and interferon-gamma production and an increased fraction of CD8(+) T cells expressing the interleukin 7 receptor at the peak of the response. Thus, contraction is controlled by early inflammation but is not essential for the generation of protective memory CD8(+) T cells after infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Vladimir P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Badovinac
authors.forename: Brandon B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Harty
mesh_terms: D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007249:Inflammation; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000667:Ampicillin; D007371:Interferon-gamma