TGF-beta regulates pathology but not tissue CD8+ T cell dysfunction during experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi leads to chronic infection, with parasite persistence primarily in muscle tissue. CD8(+) T cells isolated from muscle tissue of T. cruzi-infected mice display decreased production of IFN-gamma in response to T cell receptor engagement. The expression of TGF-beta at the site of CD8(+) T cell dysfunction and parasite persistence suggested that this immunoregulatory cytokine might play a role in these processes. Mice expressing a T cell-specific dominant negative TGF-beta receptor type II (DNRII) were therefore infected with T. cruzi. Infection of DNRII mice resulted in massive CD8(+) T cell proliferation, leading to increased numbers but decreased frequencies of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in the spleen compared to wild-type mice. However, TGF-beta unresponsiveness failed to restore effector functions of CD8(+) T cells isolated from muscle tissue. Histological examination of skeletal muscle from T. cruzi-infected DNRII mice revealed an extensive cellular infiltrate, and DNRII mice displayed higher susceptibility to infection. Overall, while TGF-beta does not appear to be responsible for CD8(+) T cell unresponsiveness in peripheral tissue in T. cruzi-infected mice, these data suggest a role for TGF-beta in control of immunopathology in response to T. cruzi infection.     

Endogenous CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells have a limited role in the control of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice

Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi results in a robust and multifaceted immune response that controls parasite load but is unable to completely clear infection, resulting in parasite persistence and a chronic illness known as Chagas' disease in humans. The severity of Chagas' disease is correlated with persistent parasitism of muscle, neuronal, and gut tissues. The natural immunomodulatory function of endogenous CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Treg cells) to limit hyperactive immune responses may be exploited by microbes to persist despite host responses. In this study, we show that Treg cells are not necessary for T. cruzi evasion of immune responses during acute or chronic infection. In vivo anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody-mediated depletion of Treg cells from mice prior to challenge with a lethal strain or prior to and during acute infection with a nonlethal strain of parasite neither improved nor worsened the outcome of immune responses: differences in parasitemia, kinetics of antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell expansion, and CD8(+) T-cell effector function (both in vivo and ex vivo) were of similar magnitudes for both depleted and control groups. Furthermore, depletion of CD25(+) cells from chronically infected mice did not enhance immune responses of muscle-derived CD8(+) T cells, nor could FoxP3 mRNA/scurfin-expressing leukocytes be isolated from muscle tissue. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that Treg cells do not appear to play a major role in regulating CD8(+) T-cell effector responses during the acute phase of infection or in the muscles of mice during chronic T. cruzi infection.     

Central role for B lymphocytes and CD4+ T cells in immunity to infection by the attaching and effacing pathogen Citrobacter rodentium

Citrobacter rodentium, an attaching-effacing bacterial pathogen, establishes an acute infection of the murine colonic epithelium and induces a mild colitis in immunocompetent mice. This study describes the role of T-cell subsets and B lymphocytes in immunity to C. rodentium. C57Bl/6 mice orally infected with C. rodentium resolved infection within 3 to 4 weeks. Conversely, systemic and colonic tissues of RAG1(-/-) mice orally infected with C. rodentium contained high and sustained pathogen loads, and in the colon this resulted in a severe colitis. C57Bl/6 mice depleted of CD4(+) T cells, but not CD8(+) T cells, were highly susceptible to infection and also developed severe colitis. Mice depleted of CD4(+) T cells also had diminished immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibody responses to two C. rodentium virulence-associated determinants, i.e., EspA and intimin, despite having a massively increased pathogen burden. Mice with an intact T-cell compartment, but lacking B cells ( micro MT mice), were highly susceptible to C. rodentium infection. Systemic immunity, but not mucosal immunity, could be restored by adoptive transfer of convalescent immune sera to infected micro MT mice. Adoptive transfer of immune B cells, but not na?ve B cells, provided highly variable immunity to recipient micro MT mice. The results suggest that B-cell-mediated immune responses are central to resolution of a C. rodentium infection but that the mechanism through which this occurs requires further investigation. These data are relevant to understanding immunity to enteric attaching and effacing bacterial pathogens of humans.     

NK1.1+ cells and T-cell activation in euthymic and thymectomized C57Bl/6 mice during acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Natural killer (NK) cells may provide the basis for resistance to Trypanosoma cruzi infection, because the depletion of NK1.1 cells causes high levels of parasitemia in young C57Bl/6 mice infected with T. cruzi. Indeed, NK1.1 cells have been implicated in the early production of large amounts of interferon (IFN)-gamma, an important cytokine in host resistance. The NK1.1 marker is also expressed on special subpopulations of T cells. Most NK1.1+ T cells are of thymic origin, and their constant generation may be prevented by thymectomy. This procedure, by itself, decreased parasitemia and increased resistance in young mice. However, the depletion of NK1.1+ cells by the chronic administration of a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) (PK-136) did not increase the parasitemia or mortality in thymectomized C57Bl/6 mice infected with T. cruzi (Tulahuen strain). To study the cross-talk between NK1.1+ cells and conventional T cells in this model, we examined the expression of activation/memory markers (CD45RB) on splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from young euthymic or thymectomized mice with or without depletion of NK1.1+ cells and also in aged mice during acute infection. Resistance to infection correlated with the amount of CD4+ T cells that are already activated at the moment of infection, as judged by the number of splenic CD4+ T cells expressing CD45RB(-). In addition, the specific antibody response to T. cruzi antigens was precocious and an accumulation of immunoglobulin (Ig)M with little isotype switch occurred in euthymic mice depleted of NK1.1+ cells. The data presented here suggest that NK1.1+ cells have important regulatory functions in euthymic, but not in thymectomized mice infected with T. cruzi. These regulatory functions include a helper activity in the generation of effector or activated/memory T cells.     

IL-21R expression on CD8+ T cells promotes CD8+ T cell activation in coxsackievirus B3 induced myocarditis

IL-21 is a multi-functional cytokine which can promote survival, proliferation and activation of T and B lymphocytes including CD8 T cells. Previous studies have shown that autoimmune CD8+ T cells are the primary pathogenic effector cell in coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) induced myocarditis in C57Bl/6 mice. To evaluate the role of IL-21 in promoting CD8+ T cell mediated cardiac injury in myocarditis, C57Bl/6 and IL-21RKO mice were infected with CVB3. IL-21RKO mice developed significantly less myocarditis than C57Bl/6 animals although cardiac virus titers were equivalent between the mouse strains. Numbers of CD8+IFNγ+ cells were decreased in IL-21RKO mice but numbers of either CD4+IFNγ+ or CD4+IL-4+ cells were not significantly different from C57Bl/6 animals indicating a selective effect of IL-21 signaling on the CD8+ T cell response. To confirm that IL-21 signaling exclusively functions at the level of the CD8+ T cell in CVB3 induced myocarditis, purified CD8+ cells were isolated from either C57Bl/6 or IL-21RKO donors and adoptively transferred into CD8KO recipients prior to CVB3 infection. CD8KO recipients given either C57Bl/6 or IL-21RKO CD8+ cells showed equivalent reconstitution of the CD8+ cells in the spleen but the recipients given C57Bl/6 CD8+ cells showed significantly greater myocarditis than recipients of IL-21RKO CD8+ cells. These data demonstrate that IL-21 signaling directly in the CD8+ cell population is required for CVB3-induced myocarditis.     

Different Trypanosoma cruzi strains promote neuromyopathic damage mediated by distinct T lymphocyte subsets

The proliferative response of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes obtained from C3H/HeN mice chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi strains that differ in virulence, tropism and immunogenicity, was assayed against skeletal muscle, sciatic nerve and spinal cord homogenates. Although both CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes from mice infected with the RA strain strongly proliferated against the nervous system, no response against skeletal muscle antigens was detected. CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes from mice infected with the K-98 clone (from CA-I strain) showed low proliferative response against all the antigens assayed. To determine whether the proliferation patterns showed correlation with T cell-mediated neuromuscular damage, passive cell transfer studies were performed. Fifteen days after transfer of CD4 T cells from RA-infected donors (CD4-RA), normal syngeneic recipients displayed exclusively nervous tissue damage, such as perineural, endoneural and/or meningeal inflammatory infiltrates, with predominance of CD4 T cells. Fifteen days after transfer of CD4 T lymphocytes from mice infected with K-98 (CD4-K98), recipients showed inflammatory infiltrates only in skeletal muscle, where CD4 T lymphocytes and macrophages were predominant cells. Recipients of CD8 T cells from RA-infected mice (CD8-RA) showed lesions in both spinal cord and sciatic nerves. Higher percentages of CD8 T cells were observed in comparison with the recipients of CD4-RA or CD4-K98. In contrast, CD8 T cells from K-98-infected donors (CD8-K98) did not induce tissue damage. These results provide evidence that mice infected with T. cruzi populations that differ in their biological characteristics show diverse immune mechanisms that may be involved in the pathogenesis of peripheral nervous system damage.     

CD4+ T cells are required for the maintenance, not programming, of memory CD8+ T cells after acute infection

Immunization in the absence of CD4(+) T cell help results in defective CD8(+) T cell memory, deficient recall responses and diminished protective immunity. Here we investigated at what stage during the immune response to pathogen CD4(+) T cells are essential in the promotion of functional CD8(+) T cell memory. Memory CD8(+) T cell numbers decreased gradually in the absence of CD4(+) T cells despite the presence of similar numbers of memory cell precursors at the peak of the effector phase. Adoptive transfer of effector or memory CD8(+) T cells into wild-type or CD4(+) T cell-deficient mice demonstrated that the presence of CD4(+) T cells was important only after, not during, the early CD8(+) T cell programming phase. In the absence of CD4(+) T cells, memory CD8(+) T cells became functionally impaired and decreased in quantity over time. We conclude that in the context of an acute infection, CD4(+) T cells are required only during the maintenance phase of long-lived memory CD8(+) T cells.     

Bim mediates apoptosis of CD127(lo) effector T cells and limits T cell memory

Following an acute T cell response, most activated effector cells die, while some survive and become memory cells. The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, Bcl-2 interacting mediator of death (Bim) is critical for eliminating most effector T cells, while expression of CD127 (IL-7Ralpha) has been proposed to mark effector cells destined to become memory cells. Here, we examined the effects of Bim on the death of effector T cells in relationship to CD127 expression and on development of T cell memory following lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. We found that large numbers of CD127(lo) LCMV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were lost in wild-type mice, but were spared in Bim(-/-) mice. Further, while the numbers of CD127(hi) T cells declined only slightly during contraction of the response in wild-type mice, they increased significantly in Bim(-/-) mice due to re-expression of CD127 on CD127(lo) T cells that had avoided apoptosis. Functional memory T cells were significantly increased in Bim(-/-) mice; however, they underwent a slow attrition due to decreased proliferative renewal. Taken together, these data suggest that the absence of Bim-mediated death of LCMV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in vivo can increase T cell memory, but other homeostatic mechanisms control the long-term maintenance of memory cells.     

CD4+ T cells in the pathogenesis of murine ocular toxoplasmosis

The role of CD4(+) T cells in the pathogenesis of ocular toxoplasmosis was investigated in murine models utilizing inbred C57BL/6 mice deficient either in CD4(+), CD8(+), or B cells (microMT). Severe necrosis and inflammation with replicating parasites were observed in the eyes of control mice after primary ocular infection, and near-normal histology with few tachyzoites was observed in the eyes of mice immunized intraperitoneally with the avirulent ts-4 strain followed by intraocular challenge with the RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii. In contrast, mild inflammation without evidence of necrosis associated with increased parasite burdens were observed in the eyes of CD4 knockout (KO) mice after both primary ocular infection and challenge with RH tachyzoites. CD8 KO mice, as well as microMT mice, demonstrated increased ocular necrosis in response to either primary ocular infection or challenge. The parasite burden was increased in the eyes of both CD8 KO and microMT mice in which the parasite load was even higher. As expected, there were no increases in the levels of immunoglobulin G in serum or aqueous humor in microMT mice, and there was no increase in the levels of gamma interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the sera of CD4 KO mice after both infection and challenge. These results suggest that the ocular inflammatory response to the parasite is mediated primarily by the CD4(+)-T-cell response. CD8(+) T cells and B cells may play an important role in limiting tachyzoite proliferation in the eyes. Mice deficient in CD8(+) CD4(+) T cells or B cells exhibit diminished vaccine-induced resistance and increased ocular parasite burden after challenge.     

An interleukin-21-interleukin-10-STAT3 pathway is critical for functional maturation of memory CD8+ T cells

Memory CD8(+) T cells are critical for long-term immunity, but the genetic pathways governing their formation remain poorly defined. This study shows that the IL-10-IL-21-STAT3 pathway is critical for memory CD8(+) T cell development after acute LCMV infection. In the absence of either interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-21 or STAT3, virus-specific CD8(+) T cells retain terminal effector (TE) differentiation states and fail to mature into protective memory T cells that contain self-renewing central memory T cells. Expression of Eomes, BCL-6, Blimp-1, and SOCS3 was considerably reduced in STAT3-deficient memory CD8(+) T cells, and BCL-6- or SOCS3-deficient CD8(+) T cells also had perturbed memory cell development. Reduced SOCS3 expression rendered STAT3-deficient CD8(+) T cells hyperresponsive to IL-12, suggesting that the STAT3-SOCS3 pathway helps to insulate memory precursor cells from inflammatory cytokines that drive TE differentiation. Thus, memory CD8(+) T cell precursor maturation is an active process dependent on IL-10-IL-21-STAT3 signaling.     

CD11b expression as a marker to distinguish between recently activated effector CD8(+) T cells and memory cells

CD8(+) T cells in different activation states have been difficult to identify phenotypically. In this study we have investigated whether Mac-1 (CD11b) expression can be used as a criterion to distinguish between recently activated effector cells and memory cells belonging to the CD8(+) T cell subset. Polyclonal virus-specific effector and memory CD8(+) T cells from lymphocytic choriomeningitis- and vesicular stomatitis virus-infected mice were visualized through staining for intracellular IFN-gamma or binding of MHC-peptide tetramers, and Mac-1 expression was evaluated. Naive T cells and most virus-specific memory CD8(+) T cells express little or no Mac-1 independent of the virus model employed. In contrast, the majority of CD8(+) T cells present during acute infection express a significant level of Mac-1 and, similarly, Mac-1 expression is found on secondary effectors generated in response to viral re-exposure. We therefore suggest that high Mac-1 expression defines a subset of circulating effector cells and that the presence of this marker on antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells signifies recent activation.     

Trypanosoma cruzi modulates the profile of memory CD8+ T cells in chronic Chagas' disease patients

We present a cross-sectional analysis of the maturation and migratory properties of the memory CD8(+) T cell compartment, in relation to the severity of heart disease in individuals with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection removed from endemic areas for longer than 20 years. Subjects with none or mild heart involvement were more likely to mount T. cruzi-specific memory IFN-gamma responses than subjects with more advanced cardiac disease, and the T. cruzi-specific CD8(+) T cell population was enriched in early-differentiated (CD27(+)CD28(+)) cells in responding individuals. In contrast, the frequency of CD27(+)CD28(+)CD8(+) T cells in the total memory CD8(+) T cell population decreases, as disease becomes more severe, while the proportion of fully differentiated memory (CD27(-)CD28(-)) CD8(+) T cells increases. The analysis of CCR7 expression revealed a significant increase in total effector/memory CD8(+) T cells (CD45RA(-)CCR7(-)) in subjects with mild heart disease as compared with uninfected controls. Altogether, these results are consistent with the hypothesis of a gradual clonal exhaustion in the CD8(+) T cell population, perhaps as a result of continuous antigenic stimulation by persistent parasites.     

CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells are key participants in the development of recurrent herpetic stromal keratitis in mice

Ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection results in an immune-mediated inflammation of the corneal stroma known as herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK). Recurrent HSK is a common cause of virus-induced corneal blindness in humans. The role of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets in the disease pathogenesis is ill defined and varies with the virus strain and host genetic background. To examine the contribution of T cell subsets to corneal disease, we studied the development of recurrent HSK in CD4 or CD8 gene knockout (KO) mice ocularly infected with HSV-1 McKrae strain. Following UV-B induced viral reactivation, corneal opacity in latently infected BALB/c (HSV sensitive) CD4 and CD8 KO mice was reduced compared to infected BALB/c mice with normal genotype. In contrast, opacity in C57BL/6 (HSV resistant) CD4 and CD8 KO latent mice did not differ from genetically normal latent mice. Virus-induced corneal opacity was not demonstrable in C57BL/6 CD4/CD8 double KO mice. Increased viral shedding, measured by reactivation rate, days shedding or viral titers, occurred in CD4 KO mice of both strains. Our findings indicate that both CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells play a role in the immunopathogenesis of recurrent HSK, and their role is dependent upon the host genetic profile.     

Unidirectional development of CD8+ central memory T cells into protective Listeria-specific effector memory T cells

Three distinct subsets of antigen-experienced CD8(+) T cells have been identified so far: short-living effector T cells (T(EC)) and two long-living subsets, described as central (T(CM)) and effector memory (T(EM)) T cells. The lineage relationships of these subpopulations as well as their involvement in protection have not yet been conclusively determined. We recently described a novel marker combination (CD127 and CD62L) to identify all three major CD8(+) T cell subsets in mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes (L.m.). Extensive lineage relationship analyses on highly purified subpopulations after in vitro and in vivo stimulation demonstrated that T(CM) can develop into T(EM) or T(EC), whereas T(EM) can only progress to T(EC) cells. Short-living T(EC) never regained a T(EM) or T(CM) phenotype. These data strongly suggest a hierarchical and unidirectional order of developmental stages. In vivo priming protocols that preferentially induced one of the different CD8(+) T cell subsets demonstrated that predominance of T(EM) (CD40 stimulation) correlated best with effective protection against L.m., whereas generation of neither T(CM) (by immunization with heat-killed L.m.) nor T(EC) (by systemic co-administration of CpG during primary infection) conferred substantial long-term protective immunity. These findings have important implications for the design of more effective T cell-based vaccines.     

Functional impairment of CD8(+) T cells by regulatory T cells during persistent retroviral infection

The establishment of viral persistence generally requires evasion of the host CD8(+) T cell response. Here we describe a form of evasion wherein the CD8(+) T cells are fully capable of recognizing their cognate antigen but their effector functions are suppressed by regulatory T cells. Virus-specific CD8(+) T cells adoptively transferred into mice persistently infected with Friend virus proliferated and appeared activated, but failed to produce IFNgamma or reduce virus loads. Cotransfer experiments revealed that a subpopulation of CD4(+) T cells from persistently infected mice suppressed IFNgamma production by the CD8(+) T cells. Treatment of persistently infected mice with anti-GITR antibody to ameliorate suppression by regulatory T cells significantly improved IFNgamma production by transferred CD8(+) T cells and allowed a significant reduction in viral loads. The results indicate that CD4(+) regulatory T cells contribute to viral persistence and demonstrate an immunotherapy for treating chronic retroviral infections.     

Bcl6 is essential for the generation of long-term memory CD4+ T cells

Bcl6 plays a role in the generation and maintenance of memory CD8(+) T cells. We analyzed here a role for Bcl6 in the generation of long-term memory CD4(+) T cells. Naive CD45RB(+) CD4(+) T cells from Bcl6-deficient DO11.10 (KJ1.26(+)) transgenic mice were transferred into BALB/c mice and immunized with ovalbumin peptide and LPS. Long-term memory KJ1.26(+) CD4(+) T cells from wild-type mice were detected in the spleen, lungs and liver during 10 weeks after immunization; however, Bcl6-deficient KJ1.26(+) CD4(+) T cells were vanished completely in those organs 4 weeks after immunization. Since memory CD4(+) T cells can be generated from effector CD4(+) T cells, properties of Bcl6-deficient effector CD4(+) T cells were compared with those wild-type effector CD4(+) T cells 10 days after immunization. Numbers of IFN-gamma-non-producing CD45RB(-), CD62L(+) or IL-7Ralpha(+) effector CD4(+) T cells in the spleen, lungs and liver were similar between Bcl6-deficient and wild-type CD4(+) T cells. However, the percentage of apoptotic cells in Bcl6-deficient effector CD4(+) T cells was higher than that in wild-type effector CD4(+) T cells. At the late effector phase, the number of IFN-gamma-non-producing cells and the percentage of apoptotic cells in Bcl6-deficient CD4(+) T cells were smaller and higher than those in wild-type CD4(+) T cells, respectively. These data suggest that Bcl6 in CD4(+) T cells plays a role in protection of memory precursor CD4(+) T cells from apoptosis and may involve in survivability of long-term memory CD4(+) T cells.     

Neutrophils sustain pathogenic CD8+ T cell responses in the heart

This study explores the influence of innate immunity on CD8(+) T-cell responses against heart tissue. Adoptive transfer of ovalbumin-specific CD8(+) effector T cells into CMy-mOva mice, which express ovalbumin in cardiac myocytes, results in a lethal acute myocarditis. The inflammatory infiltrate in the heart includes neutrophils as well as T cells. We used anti-Ly6G antibody to transiently deplete neutrophils at the time of onset of disease. By day 7 after receiving 5 x 10(5) CD8(+) effector T cells, 100% of control Ig-treated CMy-mOva mice had died, while 85% of anti-Ly6G-treated mice survived indefinitely. CD8(+) T-cell infiltration and tissue damage were present in both groups, but the disease was limited in the anti-Ly6G-treated mice, with a rapid disappearance of the adoptively transferred CD8(+) T cells within 11 days. Recovery occurred even though blood neutrophil counts began to rise 48 hours after the last anti-Ly6G treatment. Recovery was associated with a chronic CD4(+) cell infiltrate, and a rapid decline in expression of IFN-gamma and IP-10 mRNA in the myocardium. Neutrophil depletion did not effect survival of CMy-mOva mice that received 3 x 10(6) CD8(+) T cells. These data show that granulocytic inflammation sustains CD8(+) T-cell-mediated heart disease, which has important implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of acute myocarditis and allograft rejection.     

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes prevent pathogen-driven inflammation and regulate the Smad/T-bet pathway of lamina propria CD4+ T cells

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) play a key role in gut homeostasis and are critical effector cells preventing the inflammatory intestinal lesions induced in mice following oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii. In this intestinal inflammatory model, CD4(+) T lymphocytes from the lamina propria (LP) synergize with the infected enterocytes to secrete pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines. In this study, we assessed the mechanisms accounting for the ability of IEL to modulate the inflammatory activity of these cells. Adoptive transfer of IEL purified from wild-type mice, or CD154-,CD95L- or IL-10-deficient mice infected with T. gondii completely impairs the development of the lethal ileitis in recipient mice orally infected with T. gondii.Compared with unprimed IEL isolated from naive mice, the CD8 alpha beta TCR alpha beta subset of primed IEL, isolated from T. gondii-infected mice, secretes increased amount of TGF-beta. IEL interact with the LP CD4(+) T lymphocytes, down-regulate their production of inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-gamma and reduce their proliferative activity. These effects are linked to the secretion of TGF-beta and are correlated with a shift in the balance between Smad7/T-bet down-regulation and Smad2/Smad3 up-regulation in LP CD4(+) T lymphocytes.     

Role of IgM antibodies versus B cells in influenza virus-specific immunity

We have compared the role of IgM antibodies with the role of B cells in control of primary influenza virus infection. Mice deficient in IgM (IgM(-/-)), but capable of producing other Igisotypes, exhibited increased pulmonary virus titers compared to wild-type mice. However, IgM(-/-) mice were less susceptible compared to B cell-deficient micro MT) mice. CD4(+) T cells from spleen and lung draining lymph nodes of infected micro MT mice showed reduced proliferation upon virus re-stimulation in vitro. Furthermore, numbers of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) effector T cells were reduced in the alveolar lavage (BAL) of micro MT mice but not IgM(-/-) mice. In contrast, total number of virus-specific CTL was almost comparable in BAL of micro MT and wild-type mice. Pulmonary recruitment of inflammatory macrophages and neutrophils occurred normally in both micro MT and IgM(-/-) mice. Interestingly, virus-specific IgG2a and IgG2b antibody responses were affected locally in the BAL and in the serum of IgM(-/-) mice, while IgG1 responses remained largely normal. Taken together, our data suggest a role for B cells to promote effector T cell responses and a role of both IgM and IgG antibodies in the defense against acute influenza virus infection.     

γδ T lymphocytes kill T regulatory cells through CD1d

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) induces myocarditis, an inflammation of the myocardium, in C57Bl/6 male mice but not in mice lacking γδ+ T cells [γδ knockout (γδKO)]. Suppression of myocarditis in γδKO mice corresponds to an increase in CD4(+) CD25(+) FoxP3(+) T regulatory cells. A subpopulation of the T regulatory cells in infected γδKO mice expressed high levels of CD1d, a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class 1-like molecule. Adoptive transfer of CD1d(+) and CD1d(-) CD4(+) CD25(+) cells into infected C57Bl/6 recipients showed that the CD1d(+) subpopulation is substantially more suppressive than the CD1d(-) subpopulation. T cells expressing the γδ T-cell receptor comprised approximately 30-50% of the infiltrating lymphoid cells in the hearts of myocarditic C57Bl/6 mice and approximately half of the γδ+ cells expressed the Vγ4 T-cell receptor. The Vγ4+ cells lysed T regulatory cells from γδKO mice but not from wild-type (C57Bl/6) animals. Lysis was inhibited by antibody to CD1d and zVAD-fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor. The Vγ4-γδ+ cells were not lytic to T regulatory cells and did not promote myocarditis. These results demonstrate that Vγ4+ cells selectively abrogate T regulatory cells through recognition of CD1d expressed on the regulatory cells and caspase-dependent apoptosis.