title: Distinct roles for IL-2 and IL-15 in the differentiation and survival of CD8+ effector and memory T cells.
abstract: IL-2 provides a memory differentiation signal to CD8+ T cells during the primary response that impacts the ability of the subsequent memory pool to mount a successful recall response. In this study, we find that although primary effector CTL development is modestly decreased in the absence of IL-2, the persistence of short-term and long-term effector memory CD8+ T cells on pathogen clearance is greatly diminished. Furthermore, secondary challenge of CD8+ memory T cells lacking the high-avidity IL-2R results in a failure to repopulate the effector pool. The role of IL-2 in promoting effector differentiation is not shared with the highly related cytokine, IL-15. Although IL-15 supports the survival of effector CD8+ T cells after pathogen clearance, its absence does not impair either primary or secondary effector CTL differentiation, nor does it impact the differentiation of long-term effector memory CD8+ T cells. These findings indicate a unique role for IL-2, but not IL-15, in promoting the differentiation not only of primary effector CD8+ T cells, but also of CD8+ memory T cells capable of secondary effector differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Diana M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Eugene V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Ravkov
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D001117:Arenaviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D019409:Interleukin-15 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
chemical_list: D019409:Interleukin-15; D007376:Interleukin-2