The application of anti-Toso antibody enhances CD8+ T cell responses in experimental malaria vaccination and disease

Toso is a molecule highly expressed on B cells. It influences their survival and was identified as an IgM binding molecule. B cells and natural antibodies play a role in vaccination-induced CD8⁺ T cell responses. We investigated the impact of an anti-Toso antibody on vaccination efficiency in a malaria vaccination model. In this model, CD8⁺ T cells exert antiparasitic functions on infected hepatocytes in the liver stage of the disease. In vaccinated anti-Toso treated mice, more antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells were induced than in control mice and after infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) sporozoites, the liver parasite burden was lower. In B cell deficient mice, the anti-Toso antibody did not stimulate the CD8⁺ T cell response, indicating that B cells were mediating this effect. Furthermore, we analyzed the influence of anti-Toso treatment on non-vaccinated mice in the PbA infection model, in which CD8⁺ T cells cause brain pathology. Anti-Toso treatment increased cerebral pathology and the accumulation of CD8⁺ T cells in the brain. Thus, anti-Toso treatment enhanced the CD8⁺ T cell response against PbA in a vaccination and in an infection model. Our findings indicate that Toso may be a novel target to boost vaccine-induced CD8⁺ T cell responses.