Cytolytic CD8+ T cells recognizing CFP10 are recruited to the lung after Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Optimum immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. In contrast with CD4(+) T cells, few antigens are known that elicit CD8(+) T cells during infection. CD8(+) T cells specific for culture filtrate protein-10 (CFP10) are found in purified protein derivative positive donors, suggesting that CFP10 primes CD8(+) T cells in vivo. Using T cells from M. tuberculosis-infected mice, we identified CFP10 epitopes recognized by CD8(+) T cells and CD4(+) T cells. CFP10-specific T cells were detected as early as week 3 after infection and at their peak accounted for up to 30% of CD8(+) T cells in the lung. IFNgamma-producing CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells recognizing CFP10 epitopes were preferentially recruited to the lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected mice. In vivo cytolytic activity of CD8(+) T cells specific for CFP10 and TB10.3/10.4 proteins was detected in the spleen, pulmonary lymph nodes, and lungs of infected mice. The cytolytic activity persisted long term and could be detected 260 d after infection. This paper highlights the cytolytic function of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells elicited by M. tuberculosis infection and demonstrates that large numbers of CFP10-specific cytolytic CD8(+) T cells are recruited to the lung after M. tuberculosis infection.
Kamath
Arati B
AB
Divsion of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Woodworth
Joshua
J
Xiong
Xiaowei
X
Taylor
Chad
C
Weng
Yu
Y
Behar
Samuel M
SM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C117940:CFP-10 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D007371:Interferon-gamma