Differences in maintenance of CD8+ and CD4+ bacteria-specific effector-memory T cell populations

Matthias Schiemann, Verena Busch, Kathrin Linkermann, Katharina M. Huster, Dirk H. Busch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Our knowledge about the kinetics and dynamics of complex pathogen-specific CD8+ T cell responses and the in vivo development of CD8+ memory T cells has increased substantially over the past years; in comparison, relatively little is known about the CD4+ T cell compartment. We monitored and directly compared the phenotypical changes of pathogen (Listeria monocytogenes)-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses under conditions leading to effective and long-lasting protective immunity. We found that the general kinetics of bacteria-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells during the effector and post-effector phases are synchronized. However, later during the memory phase, CD8+ and CD4+ T cell populations differ substantially. Whereas CD8+ memory T cell populations with immediate effector function are readily detectable in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues and remain remarkably stable in size, antigen-specific CD4+ effector-memory T cells decline continuously in frequency over time. These findings have important implications for the better understanding of the in vivo development of protective immunity towards intracellular pathogens.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2875-2885
Number of pages11
JournalEuropean Journal of Immunology
Volume33
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2003

Keywords

  • Bacterial infection
  • CD4
  • CD8 memory T cells
  • Protective immunity
  • T cells

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Differences in maintenance of CD8+ and CD4+ bacteria-specific effector-memory T cell populations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this