Inhibition of T cell receptor expression and function in immature CD4+CD8+ cells by CD4

Most immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes express only a small number of T cell receptor (TCR) molecules on their surface, and the TCR molecules they do express are only marginally capable of transducing intracellular signals. TCR expression and function was not intrinsically low in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, but was found to be actively inhibited by CD4-mediated signals. Indeed, release of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes from CD4-mediated signals resulted in significant increases in both TCR expression and signaling function. These results suggest that, in CD4+CD8+ cells developing in the thymus, increased TCR expression and function requires release from CD4-mediated inhibition.     

Requirement for CD4 T cell help in generating functional CD8 T cell memory

Although primary CD8 responses to acute infections are independent of CD4 help, it is unknown whether a similar situation applies to secondary responses. We show that depletion of CD4 cells during the recall response has minimal effect, whereas depletion during the priming phase leads to reduced responses by memory CD8 cells to reinfection. Memory CD8 cells generated in CD4+/+ mice responded normally when transferred into CD4-/- hosts, whereas memory CD8 cells generated in CD4-/- mice mounted defective recall responses in CD4+/+ adoptive hosts. These results demonstrate a previously undescribed role for CD4 help in the development of functional CD8 memory.     

Control of homeostasis of CD8+ memory T cells by opposing cytokines

Memory T cells maintain their numbers for long periods after antigen exposure. Here we show that CD8+ T cells of memory phenotype divide slowly in animals. This division requires interleukin-15 and is markedly increased by inhibition of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Therefore, the numbers of CD8+ memory T cells in animals are controlled by a balance between IL-15 and IL-2.     

CD8alphaalpha-mediated survival and differentiation of CD8 memory T cell precursors

Memory T cells are long-lived antigen-experienced T cells that are generally accepted to be direct descendants of proliferating primary effector cells. However, the factors that permit selective survival of these T cells are not well established. We show that homodimeric alpha chains of the CD8 molecule (CD8alphaalpha) are transiently induced on a selected subset of CD8alphabeta+ T cells upon antigenic stimulation. These CD8alphaalpha molecules promote the survival and differentiation of activated lymphocytes into memory CD8 T cells. Thus, memory precursors can be identified among primary effector cells and are selected for survival and differentiation by CD8alphaalpha.     

Demethylated CD8 gene in CD4+ T cells suggests that CD4+ cells develop from CD8+ precursors

Mature T cells and medullary thymocytes bear either the CD4 or CD8 differentiation antigen. Precursor cells in the thymus express neither CD4 nor CD8 (CD4-8-), but most cortical thymocytes are CD4+8+. Whether CD4+ and CD8+ mature T cells arise directly from CD4-8- precursors or from a CD4+8+ intermediate remains unresolved. In this study, methylation of the CD8 gene in murine T cells and thymocytes was examined. There was progressive demethylation of the CD8 gene in the thymus during the transition from CD4-8- to CD4+8+. A similar pattern of demethylation of the CD8 gene was seen in CD4+ mature T cells, suggesting previous expression of CD8 in the CD4+ lineage.     

Defective CD8 T cell memory following acute infection without CD4 T cell help

The CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response to pathogens is thought to be CD4+ helper T cell independent because infectious agents provide their own inflammatory signals. Mice that lack CD4+ T cells mount a primary CD8 response to Listeria monocytogenes equal to that of wild-type mice and rapidly clear the infection. However, protective memory to a challenge is gradually lost in the former animals. Memory CD8+ T cells from normal mice can respond rapidly, but memory CD8+ T cells that are generated without CD4 help are defective in their ability to respond to secondary encounters with antigen. The results highlight a previously undescribed role for CD4 help in promoting protective CD8 memory development.     

Class II-independent generation of CD4 memory T cells from effectors

The factors required for the generation of memory CD4 T cells remain unclear, and whether there is a continuing requirement for antigen stimulation is critical to design of vaccine strategies. CD4 effectors generated in vitro from na?ve CD4 T cells of mice efficiently gave rise to small resting memory cells after transfer to class II-deficient hosts, indicating no requirement for further antigen or class II recognition.     

Persistence of memory CD8 T cells in MHC class I-deficient mice

An understanding of how T cell memory is maintained is crucial for the rational design of vaccines. Memory T cells were shown to persist indefinitely in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-deficient mice and retained the ability to make rapid cytokine responses upon reencounter with antigen. In addition, memory CD8 T cells, unlike na?ve cells, divided without MHC-T cell receptor interactions. This "homeostatic" proliferation is likely to be important in maintaining memory T cell numbers in the periphery. Thus, after na?ve CD8 T cells differentiate into memory cells, they evolve an MHC class I-independent "life-style" and do not require further stimulation with specific or cross-reactive antigen for their maintenance.     

Regulation of CD8+ T cell development by thymus-specific proteasomes

Proteasomes are responsible for generating peptides presented by the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules of the immune system. Here, we report the identification of a previously unrecognized catalytic subunit called beta5t. beta5t is expressed exclusively in cortical thymic epithelial cells, which are responsible for the positive selection of developing thymocytes. Although the chymotrypsin-like activity of proteasomes is considered to be important for the production of peptides with high affinities for MHC class I clefts, incorporation of beta5t into proteasomes in place of beta5 or beta5i selectively reduces this activity. We also found that beta5t-deficient mice displayed defective development of CD8(+) T cells in the thymus. Our results suggest a key role for beta5t in generating the MHC class I-restricted CD8(+) T cell repertoire during thymic selection.     

CD8+ T cell cross-priming via transfer of proteasome substrates

"Cross-priming" describes the activation of na?ve CD8+ T cells by professional antigen-presenting cells that have acquired viral or tumor antigens from "donor" cells. Antigen transfer is believed to be mediated by donor cell-derived molecular chaperones bearing short peptide ligands generated by proteasome degradation of protein antigens. We show here that cross-priming is based on the transfer of proteasome substrates rather than peptides. These findings are potentially important for the rational design of vaccines that elicit CD8+ T cell responses.     

Preserved CD4+ central memory T cells and survival in vaccinated SIV-challenged monkeys

Vaccine-induced cellular immunity controls virus replication in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected monkeys only transiently, leading to the question of whether such vaccines for AIDS will be effective. We immunized monkeys with plasmid DNA and replication-defective adenoviral vectors encoding SIV proteins and then challenged them with pathogenic SIV. Although these monkeys demonstrated a reduction in viremia restricted to the early phase of SIV infection, they showed a prolonged survival. This survival was associated with preserved central memory CD4+ T lymphocytes and could be predicted by the magnitude of the vaccine-induced cellular immune response. These immune correlates of vaccine efficacy should guide the evaluation of AIDS vaccines in humans.     

Naive and memory CD4+ T cell survival controlled by clonal abundance

Immunity to a plethora of microbes depends on a diverse repertoire of na?ve lymphocytes and the production of long-lived memory cells. We present evidence here that low clonal abundance in a polyclonal repertoire favors the survival and activation of na?ve CD4(+) T cells as well as the survival of their memory cell progeny. The inverse relation between clonal frequency and survival suggests that intraclonal competition could help maintain an optimally diverse repertoire of T cells and an optimal environment for the generation of long-lived memory cells.     

Toll-like receptor 8-mediated reversal of CD4+ regulatory T cell function

CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells have a profound ability to suppress host immune responses, yet little is understood about how these cells are regulated. We describe a mechanism linking Toll-like receptor (TLR) 8 signaling to the control of Treg cell function, in which synthetic and natural ligands for human TLR8 can reverse Treg cell function. This effect was independent of dendritic cells but required functional TLR8-MyD88-IRAK4 signaling in Treg cells. Adoptive transfer of TLR8 ligand-stimulated Treg cells into tumor-bearing mice enhanced anti-tumor immunity. These results suggest that TLR8 signaling could play a critical role in controlling immune responses to cancer and other diseases.     

Regulation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell homeostasis by perforin and interferon-gamma

T cell memory depends on factors that regulate expansion and death of these cells after antigenic stimulation. Mice deficient in perforin and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) exhibited increased expansion, altered immunodominance, and decreased death of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells after infection with an attenuated strain of Listeria monocytogenes, which was cleared from these mice. Expansion of CD8+ T cells was controlled by perforin, whereas IFN-gamma regulated immunodominance and the death phase. Thus, perforin and IFN-gamma regulate distinct elements of CD8+ T cell homeostasis independently of their role as antimicrobial effector molecules.     

布地奈德对成年过敏性鼻炎患者调节性T细胞功能的影响

目的 观察布地奈德对成年过敏性鼻炎(AR)患者CD8+CD28-调节性T细胞(Treg)功能的影响.方法 AR患者70例,随机分为观察组及对照组,每组35例,均以孟鲁斯特作为基础治疗,观察组给予布地奈德鼻喷雾剂128 μg/(鼻孔·天),对照组不给予布地奈德喷鼻.另选择32例健康志愿者作为健康对照组.检测健康对照组及AR患者治疗前及治疗12周后的外周血Treg及其胞内细胞因子白介素10(IL-10)、转化生长因子β1(TGF-β1)的含量,以及IgE、IgG4和嗜酸性粒细胞(EOS)含量.结果 (1)与健康对照组比较,AR患者CD8+CD28-Treg、IL-10、TGF-β1及IgG4均显著降低(P＜0.01),而IgE及EOS均显著升高(P＜0.01).(2)治疗后观察组CD8+CD28-Treg、IL-10、TGF-β1及IgG4均高于治疗前及对照组(P＜0.01),IgE及EOS均低于治疗前及对照组(P＜0.01或0.05).(3)CD8+CD28-Treg、IL-10及TGF-β1三者当中任意一者,均与IgE及EOS当中任一者呈负相关(P＜0.01或o.05),但前三者与IgG4均呈正相关(P＜0.05或0.01).结论 CD8+CD28-Treg及其细胞因子下降是AR的重要表现,布地奈德可提高该细胞及IgG4含量,降低ⅠgE及EOS含量.     

AA肉鸡生长过程中血液CD3+、CD4+和CD8+T淋巴细胞亚群的变化规律

为了进一步了解AA肉鸡血液T淋巴细胞及其CD4 、CD8 亚群所占比例的变化规律及对免疫系统中的重要作用,使用流式细胞仪对1、3、5、7、14、21、28、35、42、的日龄AA肉鸡血液CD3 T淋巴细胞和CD4 、CD8 T细胞亚群比例进行检测.结果表明,1～5日龄CD3 T淋巴细胞含量逐渐升高,7日龄突然下降,14～21日龄急速升高,并达到最高峰后急速下降至28日龄,35～49日龄时相对趋于平稳状态;CD4 T细胞含量1～3日龄明显低于其余日龄,3～5日龄急速上升,7～14日龄增加缓慢,21日龄时达到最高峰后急速下降至28日龄,35～49日龄时基本趋于平稳状态;CD8 T细胞含量1～5日龄缓慢上升,5～7日龄急速下降后,再急速上升到14日龄,14～28日龄再下降,此后直至49日龄均在此水平上处于平稳状态.CD4 /CD8 比例:1～7日龄缓慢增加,7～14日龄比例急速下降至最低,14～21日龄时比例增加到最高峰后急速下降至28日龄,但比例数值高于前1～7日龄,28～49日龄比例趋于平稳状态.表明AA雏鸡在1～7日龄时其免疫功能逐渐提高,14日龄时细胞免疫功能明显减弱,这可能与CD8 T淋巴细胞含量高有关,21日龄时机体细胞免疫水平达最高状态,在28日龄后肉鸡细胞免疫功能基本保持稳定状态,但仍需要加强饲养管理.     

Split anergy in a CD8+ T cell: receptor-dependent cytolysis in the absence of interleukin-2 production

Engagement of the antigen-specific receptor (TCR) of CD4+ T lymphocytes without a second (costimulatory) signal prevents the subsequent production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by these cells. Because IL-2 is a key immunoregulatory lymphokine and is also produced by a subset of CD8+ T cells that are able to kill target cells, the effect of engaging the TCR of one such clone in the absence of costimulatory signals was examined. The capacity for TCR-dependent IL-2 production was lost, indicating comparable costimulator-dependent signaling requirements for IL-2 production in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. However, TCR-mediated cytotoxicity was not impaired, implying that costimulation is required for only certain TCR-dependent effector functions.