CD4 T cells inhibit the CD8 T cell response during low-dose virus infection.
CD4 T cells are not thought to play a significant role in generating an effective primary CD8 T cell response to most viral infections. We have challenged this view by demonstrating that antigen-specific CD4 T cells can indeed suppress the proliferation of antigen-specific naive CD8 T cells in response to low doses of vesicular stomatitis virus. This finding is in contrast to the established observations that at high antigen loads CD4 T cells play little role in generating CD8 T cell responses, and that in non-infectious model systems CD4 T cells actually help the CD8 T cell response. Our results suggest that at low infectious doses, CD4 T cells play a much larger role in controlling infections than previously appreciated.
Cose
Stephen
S
Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, 06030, USA. s.cose@bristol.ac.uk
Brammer
Clair
C
Zammit
David J
DJ
Blair
D A
DA
Lefrançois
Leo
L
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral