title: IL-7R alpha versus CCR7 and CD45 as markers of virus-specific CD8+ T cell differentiation: contrasting pictures in blood and tonsillar lymphoid tissue.
abstract: In humans, circulating CD8(+) memory T cells to a nonpersistent virus (influenza) lie within CCR7(+)CD45RA(-) central memory, whereas memory to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent, EBV lytic, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens are progressively larger in size and are more biased toward CCR7(-)CD45RA(-) effector memory and CCR7(-)CD45RA(+) terminally differentiated compartments. We found that these populations are also distinguished by progressively lower expression of the interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R alpha) and by lower IL-7 responsiveness; indeed, percentage IL-7R alpha -positive values showed a tight inverse correlation with population size. However, these relationships among size, differentiation phenotype, and IL-7R alpha status in blood did not hold in tonsillar tissue. In tonsil tissue, although EBV reactivities outnumbered their CMV and influenza counterparts, the distinct CCR7/CD45 isoform signatures of the different virus-specific populations were retained. Moreover, all detectable reactivities showed high levels of IL-7R alpha expression. As a discriminator between different virus-specific populations, IL-7R alpha therefore appears to be more susceptible to tissue location than the classical CCR7/CD45 markers.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sauce
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leese
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hislop
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rickinson
mesh_terms: D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000378:metabolism*; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014780:Viruses / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C515370:CCR7 protein, human; D016207:Cytokines; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; D020395:Receptors, Interleukin-7; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens