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Journal of Virology, April 2005, p. 4700-4708, Vol. 79, No. 8
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.79.8.4700-4708.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Stephen A. Stohlman,1,2,3 and
Cornelia C. Bergmann1,3*
Departments of Neurology,1 Molecular Microbiology and Immunology,2 Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California3
Received 5 August 2004/ Accepted 22 November 2004
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Control of T-cell entry, expression of T-cell effector function, and antigen specificity are of particular importance within the central nervous system (CNS), where limiting virus- and immune system-mediated damage is critical to host survival. The CNS is protected by a unique vasculature comprising the blood brain barrier that minimizes the passage of cells and macromolecules into the CNS parenchyma (19, 20). Although it is widely accepted that T cells survey the resting CNS (19), T-cell migration and/or extravasation in the absence of inflammatory signals is minimal compared to that of other nonlymphoid tissues such as liver or lung tissues (27, 35). Furthermore, although activated T cells have an enhanced capacity for migration into noninflamed tissues compared to memory T cells (35), they rapidly disappear from the CNS in the absence of cognate antigen (8, 20, 22). Such transient accumulation, in the absence of inflammatory signals, by the use of adoptive transfers into hosts harboring or devoid of antigen within the CNS has been described for both activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (8, 20, 22). By contrast, activated CD8+ T cells specific for an antigen widely expressed in the recipient produced liver inflammation but no inflammation in other tissues, including CNS tissues (1), suggesting restricted access. However, direct intracerebral (i.c.) injection resulted in necroinflammatory disease of the choroid plexus in antigen-transgenic, but not control, littermates (1). Thus, despite promiscuous trafficking, the potential for immunopathology within the CNS appears negligible in the absence of cognate antigen recognition, especially considering the paucity of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression by CNS resident cells (40).
In contrast to results showing restricted T-cell entry into the naïve CNS, viral infection induces vigorous T-cell responses (14, 18, 32). However, the extent of virus-specific versus "irrelevant" bystander CD8+ T-cell recruitment and activation during virus-induced inflammation is largely unknown. Adoptive transfer studies during Sindbis virus-induced encephalitis suggest that lymphocyte entry is independent of antigen specificity but that virus-specific T cells are selectively retained (22). Inflammation in this model is largely CD4+ T cell mediated. During neurotropic coronavirus-induced inflammation, primary antigen-specific CD8+ T cells access the CNS, reach a peak that is delayed relative to that of viral replication, and are retained within the CNS for prolonged periods following viral clearance (4, 32). Approximately 50% of CD8+ T cells are virus specific, and the relative ratio of virus-specific to total CD8+ T cells remains relatively stable over time (4, 32, 39). Other models, involving viral CNS challenge of immune mice to avoid lethality, also demonstrate efficient recruitment and survival of virus-specific CD8+ T cells within the CNS for many months (18, 46). However, the relative frequencies of irrelevant antigen specificities, as well as the dynamics within CD8+ T-cell populations persisting in the CNS, has not been studied extensively (4, 18, 33, 36, 46). Similarly, the specificities of the relatively restricted TCR repertoire of CD8+ T cells found in CNS lesions of multiple sclerosis patients are unresolved (2). Activation of non-specifically recruited memory cells prior to or within the CNS environment following microbial infection may influence subsequent CNS inflammation and/or enhance pathogenesis. Indeed, the ability of highly activated bystander CD8+ T cells to mediate enhanced CNS pathology in a TCR-transgenic mouse has recently been demonstrated during neurotropic coronavirus infection (15). By contrast, recruitment of CD8+ T cells monospecific for an irrelevant antigen did not significantly contribute to CNS damage in a transgenic model of persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection (36).
To gain insights into how bystander CD8+ T cells may influence pathological events in the CNS of mice with a natural TCR repertoire, the recruitment, activation state, and retention of a defined, irrelevant peripheral memory CD8+ T-cell population were characterized in the context of acute neurotropic coronavirus infection. CNS infection with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV) results in nonfatal encephalomyelitis (13). JHMV replicates in the CNS parenchyma in astrocytes, microglia-macrophages, and oligodendroglia (48) and induces a vigorous inflammatory response (3, 31). CD8+ T-cell infiltration peaks within the CNS between days 8 and 10 postinfection (p.i.) and plays a significant role in eliminating infectious virus (3, 4, 31). Although the majority of CD8+ T cells recruited into the CNS during acute infection are virus specific, a consistent proportion is not accounted for by specificities for T-cell epitopes identified to date (4, 32, 33). To determine whether irrelevant T cells are derived from a preexisting memory pool, a non-cross-reactive indicator memory CD8+ T-cell population was established prior to JHMV challenge by peripheral infection with a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) expressing a Dd-restricted epitope derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) IIIB gp160, designated p18 (6). CD8+ T-cell infiltration within the CNS of mice undergoing acute rVV infection was transient, suggesting that activated CD8+ T cells access the naïve CNS but lack survival signals for prolonged retention. Subsequent JHMV CNS infection, induced after p18-specific CD8+ T-cell levels declined below detection within the CNS, mobilized peripheral memory T cells into the infected CNS independent of antigen specificity. However, in contrast to highly activated CD8+ T cells specific for the dominant JHMV pN epitope (5), p18-specific CD8+ T cells recruited to the site of inflammation maintained a nonactivated memory phenotype and did not express ex vivo cytolytic activity. Taking advantage of a CNS-restricted infection in a host harboring a naturally established memory T-cell population, the data indicate that CD8+ bystander T cells are indiscriminately recruited into the CNS as a component of the innate cellular response. The data also indicate that in the absence of cognate or cross-reactive antigen, accumulation is transient and therefore unlikely to contribute to immune pathology.
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Isolation of lymphocytes. Mononuclear cells were obtained from pooled brains or spleens of four to eight mice/group perfused with PBS as described previously (32, 33). For isolation of inflammatory cells from the CNS, brains were disrupted in RPMI medium containing 25 mM HEPES (pH 7.2) by the use of ice-cold Tenbroeck tissue homogenizers. Homogenates were adjusted to 30% Percoll (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden), and the mononuclear cells were isolated by centrifugation at 800 x g at 4°C for 25 min onto a 70% Percoll cushion. CNS-derived cells were collected from the 30% Percoll/70% Percoll interface, washed three times, and resuspended in RPMI 1640 containing 25 mM HEPES and 1% fetal calf serum prior to analysis. Yields varied from 1 x 106 to 3 x 106 cells per brain, with maximum yields obtained between days 8 and 12 p.i.
Flow cytometry and intracellular cytokine staining.
Cells were suspended in PBS containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin for analysis by flow cytometry. Nonspecific binding was blocked by preincubation with FC
III/IIR MAb (2.4G2; BD PharMingen, San Diego, Calif.) and 1% mouse serum for 20 min at 4°C. Inflammatory cells were separated from CNS resident cells on the basis of a CD45hi phenotype (3). PerCP anti-CD45 (BD PharMingen) and PE anti-F4/80 (Serotec, Raleigh, N.C.) were used to distinguish microglia from infiltrating macrophages. MHC class II expression on CD45low microglia was determined with fluorescein isothiocyanate anti-I-A/I-E (2G9; BD PharMingen). Neutrophils were identified with allophycocyanin anti-Ly-6G/6C (1A8; BD PharMingen) and the absence of I-A/I-E expression. JHMV-specific CD8+ T cells within the CD45hi population were detected using the Ld-pN tetramer (4) and Cy-chrome anti-CD8 MAb (53-6.7; BD PharMingen). The p18-specific CD8+ T cells were detected using the Dd-p18 tetramer (47). CD44 (IM7; BD PharMingen), CD43 (1B11; BD PharMingen), and CD127 (SB/199; BD PharMingen) expression on CD8+ T cells was used to differentiate memory and effector CD8+ T-cell populations. Samples were analyzed on a FacsCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, Calif.). Forward- and side-scatter signals were used to establish a gate containing intact lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils while excluding dead cells and tissue debris. A minimum of 106 viable cells were stained and
105 events were analyzed per sample.
IFN-
production in response to antigen was analyzed by incubating 1 x 106 splenocytes or CNS-derived cells with J774.1 cells (2 x 105) in 100 µl of RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 1 µM of the Ld-restricted pN peptide derived from the JHMV nucleocapsid protein (APTAGAFFF) or the p18 gp160 derived Dd-restricted peptide (RGRGRAFVTI), and 1 µl of Golgi Stop (BD PharMingen)/ml for 5 h at 37°C (3). Peptides were synthesized by the University of Southern California Norris Cancer Center Microchemistry Laboratory, and purity was assessed by high-pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Cells were stained with Cy-chrome anti-CD8 MAb, fixed, permeabilized, and analyzed for intracellular gamma interferon (IFN-
) by the use of XMG1.2 MAb (BD PharMingen).
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assays. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assays were performed directly ex vivo using cells isolated from the CNS as described previously (4). Briefly, J774.1 (H-2d) target cells were labeled with 100 µCi of Na51CrO4 (New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass.) and coated with 1 µM of the p18 or pN peptide. CNS-derived cells were added at the indicated effector-to-target cell (E:T) ratios (4). Supernatants (100 µl) were removed after 4 h of incubation at 37°C. Specific lysis was defined as 100 x (experimental release spontaneous release)/(detergent release spontaneous release). Maximum spontaneous release values were <10% of the total release values. Specific cytolysis per tetramer-positive CD8+ T cell was calculated by adjusting E:T ratios to tetramer-positive CD8+ T-cell levels.
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staining. Although p18-specific CD8+ T-cell levels were below detection at day 4 p.i., small numbers were recovered at both 7 and 14 days p.i., coinciding with maximal total CD8+ T-cell levels (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, maximal total p18-specific CD8+ T-cell levels barely reached 4,000 cells per brain. By day 30 p.i., no p18-specific CD8+ T cells were detected within the low number of CD8+ T cells retained in the CNS (Fig. 1). These data demonstrate that activated CD8+ T cells are transiently recruited into the CNS during peripheral infection and that very few are retained within the CNS in the absence of inflammatory signals. Importantly, p18-specific CD8+ T cells decreased to undetectable levels within the CNS by 30 days following peripheral infection.
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FIG. 1. Transient CD8+ T-cell recruitment into the CNS during peripheral infection. Mice were infected i.p. with vac-p18. At days 4, 7, 14, and 30 p.i., CNS cells were analyzed for levels of p18-specific CD8+ T cells following peptide stimulation and intracellular IFN- staining. Bars indicate total p18-specific CD8+ T cells within the CNS, and symbols denote total CD8+ T cells per brain. The data are representative of two separate experiments using three mice per group.
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production or the ability of in vitro-stimulated memory cells to lyse targets presenting the heterologous epitope was detectable (data not shown). Furthermore, the inability to detect p18-specific CD8+ T cells within the CNS at the time of CNS challenge suggested that any accumulation of p18-specific cells following JHMV CNS infection results from recruitment. To examine the relative recruitment of primary JHMV and irrelevant memory cells into the CNS, mice immunized by peripheral infection with vac-p18 or the vSC8 control virus were infected with JHMV at 30 to 45 days post-primary infection. Both vac-p18 and vSC8 immune mice mounted vigorous CD8+ T-cell inflammatory responses to JHMV infection (Fig. 2). The relative proportions of CD8+ T cells specific for the JHMV pN epitope and bystander p18 CD8+ T cells were assessed using class I tetramers and intracellular IFN-
staining following stimulation with either peptide (Fig. 2A). CD8+ T cells were initially detected at day 4 p.i., peaked at day 8 p.i., and gradually declined after day 8 p.i. but remained detectable to 21 days p.i. (Fig. 2B). Analysis of JHMV-pN- and HIV-p18-specific CD8+ T-cell subsets by tetramer staining revealed that total numbers of p18-specific cells dominated pN-specific cells at day 4 p.i. (Fig. 2B, left panel). Although the two subsets were comparable at day 6 p.i., pN-specific CD8+ T cells prevailed by day 8 p.i. and at subsequent time points. Although only
4 x 103 pN-specific CD8+ T cells were detected at day 4 p.i., they exceeded the level of p18-specific CD8+ T cells by twofold at day 8 p.i. Maximal total numbers of both populations coincided with the peak of JHMV-induced inflammation at day 8 p.i. At day 11 p.i., p18-specific CD8+ T-cell levels decreased dramatically.
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FIG. 2. Recruitment of primary homologous (pN) and bystander memory (p18) CD8+ T cells into the CNS. Vac-p18 immune mice were infected i.c. with JHMV. At 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 21 days p.i., CNS-derived cells were analyzed for levels of p18- or pN-specific CD8+ T cells by the use of class I tetramers and peptide-induced IFN- staining. (A) Representative flow cytometric density plots, gated on CD8+ T cells, showing either Dd/p18- and Ld/pN tetramer-positive CD8+ cells or intracellular p18- or pN-specific IFN- + cells in the CD8+ population at day 8 p.i. Numbers indicate percentages of CD8+ T cells and percentages of epitope-specific CD8+ T cells within total CNS-derived cells. (B) Bars represent total numbers of Dd/p18 or Ld/pN tetramer+ CD8+ T cells (left panel) and total numbers of peptide-specific IFN- + CD8+ T cells (right panel) per brain. Results represent the averages for two separate experiments containing three mice per group ± standard deviations. (C) Bars indicate percentages of either Dd/p18 or Ld/pN tetramer+ cells within the CD8+ T-cell population (left y axis); symbols indicate the CD8+ T-cell percentages within total brain-derived cells (right y axis).
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production following peptide stimulation was also examined. Slightly reduced, albeit similar, numbers of both pN- and p18-specific IFN-
-producing T cells were obtained (Fig. 2B, right panel). The inverse dynamics of the p18- and pN-specific CD8+ T-cell populations are most evident when the relative percentages within the CD8+ T-cell population are calculated (Fig. 2C). Bystander p18-specific CD8+ T cells comprised
20% of the CD8+ T cells infiltrating the CNS, whereas the pN-specific proportion was barely detectable at day 4 p.i. However, the percentage of p18-specific memory cells steadily declined to the limits of detection after day 8 p.i. By contrast, the proportion of pN-specific cells increased gradually to day 11 p.i. and remained elevated at days 14 and 21 p.i. Although kinetics of total CD8+ T-cell- and pN-specific inflammation were similar within the CNS of JHMV-infected vSC8 immune mice, no p18-specific CD8+ T cells were detected, confirming tetramer specificity (data not shown). On the basis of the observation that similar numbers of CD8+ T cells entered the CNS of vSC8 immune mice, the specificity of the CD8+ T cells not accounted for by tetramer staining is unknown but may involve additional VV epitopes (17). These data suggest that bystander memory CD8+ T cells enter the CNS rapidly during an acute inflammatory response but are gradually displaced by pathogen-specific primary T cells.
The extent of recruitment of bystander cells and their role during inflammatory responses are controversial. Although bystander cells may acquire an effector phenotype during heterologous infection, activation may be attributed to antigen cross-reactivity (7). The vast majority of cells recruited to the inflamed CNS, including those recruited during JHMV infection, exhibit an activated-memory phenotype, characterized by a CD44hi CD62Llo CD11ahi CD69+ expression profile (4, 18, 46). Although naïve subsets are thus excluded, differentiation of effector and memory cells has been difficult. Nevertheless, expression of a glycoform of CD43, recognized by MAb 1B11, and of CD127, the interleukin-7R
chain, has recently been shown to correlate with highly differentiated effector functions (16, 21, 23). CD43 is expressed at low levels on naïve CD8+ T cells, highly expressed on activated T cells, and downregulated on memory cells (16). CD127 is constitutively expressed by naïve cells, downregulated on the majority of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells during T-cell activation, and expressed on memory CD8+ T cells (21, 23). Thus, whereas highly activated, lytic CD8+ T cells are characterized by a CD44hi CD43hi CD127lo phenotype, memory cells express a CD44hi CD43lo/int CD127hi phenotype. These markers were thus used in combination with intracellular IFN-
to discern distinct activation phenotypes in the memory p18-specific CD8+ T cells and primary activated JHMV-specific CD8+ T cells (Fig. 3).
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FIG. 3. Phenotypic differences between bystander memory and JHMV-specific CD8+ T cells. Flow cytometric density plots showing intracellular IFN- + p18- and pN-specific cells in the CD8+ T-cell population prior to JHMV challenge (A), at day 6 p.i. in spleen (B), and at days 6 and 8 p.i. in brain (C). Numbers indicate the percentages of IFN- -producing CD8+ T cells expressing high and low levels of CD44, CD127, and CD43, as indicated. Boxes separate high- and low-level populations of CD44, CD127, and CD43 within the IFN- -specific CD8+ T cells. Results are representative of two separate experiments using three mice per group.
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70% of p18-specific CD8+ T cells, whereas only 35 to 42% of pN-specific CD8+ T cells retained the "long-lived" memory marker. Whether the noticeably higher percentage of CD127+ CNS cells compared to that of the splenic pN population reflects preferential recruitment or survival remains to be investigated. Nevertheless, the predominant CD43lo/int versus CD43hi phenotype in the p18 versus pN populations, respectively, further confirmed selective activation of the primary CD8+ T-cell responders within the CNS. These results demonstrate that despite acute encephalitis, bystander CD8+ T cells express a predominantly memory phenotype in both the periphery and CNS.
Functional analysis of CD8+ T cells during CNS inflammation.
Activated bystander CD8+ T cells increase myelin loss in JHMV-infected mice (15). A potential mechanism may reside in their expression of cytolytic activity; however, phenotypic analysis of p18-specific memory T cells recruited during JHMV CNS infection suggested limited effector function (Fig. 3). To confirm that p18-specific memory CD8+ T cells recruited into the CNS are not activated in the absence of homologous antigen, CNS-derived cells were compared for pN- and p18-specific ex vivo cytolytic activity. JHMV-specific cytolysis by mononuclear cells isolated from the CNS of p18 immune mice was apparent at day 8 p.i., the peak of T-cell inflammation (Fig. 4), in similarity to the results seen with cells derived from the CNS of infected naïve mice (39). By contrast, no detectable p18-specific cytolysis was detected (Fig. 4). To accommodate differences in relative frequencies, E:T ratios were recalculated on the basis of the frequency of epitope-specific CD8+ T cells as determined by both tetramer staining and IFN-
production. These data demonstrate that pN-specific CD8+ T cells induce cytolysis at E:T ratios < 1 (Fig. 4). In stark contrast, p18-specific cytolytic activity was undetectable at the single-cell level. Analysis at day 6 p.i., when both populations were present at equal frequencies (Fig. 2), confirmed the absence of p18-specific cytolysis (data not shown). These results suggest that memory CD8+ T cells randomly recruited to the CNS are not sufficiently activated in the presence of an inflammatory environment to exert detectable ex vivo cytolytic function. Although the potential expression of effector function in vivo cannot be excluded, the absence of ex vivo cytolytic activity supports the concept that TCR triggering is essential for effector function (43) and/or pathology (36).
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FIG. 4. Differential expression of ex vivo cytolytic activity. CNS-derived cells from vac-p18 immune mice infected with JHMV were analyzed for ex vivo cytolytic activity at day 8 p.i. J774.1 (H-2d) target cells were coated with either the p18 or pN peptides at a final concentration of 1 µM before addition of effectors. E:T ratios determined on the basis of total cell numbers are shown on the x axis. Ratios in the graph represent epitope-specific CD8+ T cells enumerated on the basis of intracellular IFN- staining results. Data are representative of three separate experiments using six to eight mice per group.
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FIG. 5. Immune status affects CD8+ T-cell inflammation. CNS cells derived from vac-p18 immune and age-matched naïve mice infected with JHMV were analyzed for CD45, CD8, CD4, and Ld/pN tetramer expression by flow cytometry at 4, 6, 8, and 11 days p.i. (A) Total infiltrating cells per brain identified by the CD45hi phenotype. (B) Relative percentages of CD8+ T cells within CD45hi infiltrates. Numbers above columns indicate relative percentages of Ld/pN tetramer+ cells within the CD8 population. (C) Total Ld/pN+CD8+ T cells per brain. (D) Relative percentages of CD4+ T cells within the CD45hi infiltrates. Data are representative of three separate experiments using three mice per group.
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The mechanisms by which memory CD8+ T cells are recruited into the CNS remain undetermined. Restrictions imposed by the blood brain barrier clearly limit access of memory CD8+ T cells from the blood into the naïve CNS (19, 27). However, activated CD4+ T cells traffic into the naïve CNS without apparent signals provided from the parenchymal side (20). Similarly, activated TCR-transgenic CD8+ T cells accumulate in the CNS parenchyma only in the presence of cognate antigen (8). The transient accumulation of p18-specific CD8+ T cells in the CNS during acute peripheral rVV infection supports the concept that activated CD8+ T cells traffic into the CNS. However, in contrast to the apparent maintenance of CD8+ T cells in other peripheral organs (34), CD8+ T cells in the CNS decreased to undetectable levels following rVV clearance. Although this observation is consistent with the paucity of memory CD8+ T cells to access the naïve CNS (19), proinflammatory signals induced by JHMV CNS infection rapidly mobilize recruitment of heterologous memory CD8+ T cells. JHMV viral infection upregulates the expression of CCL5/RANTES, CXCL9/monokine induced by IFN-
, and CXCL10/IP-10 (28-30). These cytokines-chemokines are necessary for the induction of inflammatory responses and attract T cells and macrophages to the site of infection. In contrast to the results seen with naïve T cells, activated and memory T cells express the chemokines receptors CXCR3 and CCR5 (10, 49). Rapid induction of cytokines-chemokines following CNS infection thus provides a likely mechanism for the early recruitment of bystander memory CD8+ T cells independent of antigen (10, 45).
The signals driving selective retention of pathogen-specific T cells after infectious virus is cleared are as yet unclear. One simplistic explanation is that activated antigen-specific T cells undergo prominent peripheral antigen-driven expansion and outcompete the bystander population. However, the consequences of local antigen recognition or differential activation states are unclear. Despite significant cross-reactivity between CD8+ T-cell epitopes among some heterologous viruses (7, 41, 50), there is no evidence for cross-reactivity between the p18 epitope and the dominant JHMV pN epitope. Furthermore, in similarity to the results seen with the splenic population, the majority of p18-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from the JHMV-infected CNS maintained a CD44hi CD127+ CD43lo/int memory phenotype. By contrast, pN-specific CD8+ T cells in both the spleen and CNS were highly activated, as demonstrated by the presence of a CD44hi CD127 CD43hi phenotype, which may confer enhanced adhesion facilitating extravasation into the CNS (37). Cognate antigen recognition within the CNS appears to further enhance accumulation of antigen-specific T cells. The idea of a role for antigen in T-cell retention is supported by the disappearance of JHMV-specific T cells in the CNS of mice that clear virus (32) as well as by adoptive transfer studies using other models of CNS inflammation (1, 8, 22).
In both herpes virus-induced stromal keratitis and the peripheral LCMV models, bystander CD8+ T cells traffic to the site of infection and contribute to disease pathology (9, 11, 42). Our results demonstrate that although virus-induced encephalitis recruits heterologous memory T cells, they are not activated in the process and do not acquire expression of ex vivo cytolytic activity. These data suggest that bystander CD8+ T-cell recruitment alone is unlikely to directly result in immune pathology in the absence of cognate or cross-reactive antigen. Indeed, no evidence for enhanced clinical disease was noted in immunized mice compared to infected naïve mice (data not shown). These results are consistent with highly selective destruction of antigen-expressing choroid epithelial cells (1) and astrocytes (8) by reactive cognate CD8+ T cells. In both models, no evidence for bystander damage was detected and cell loss was strictly dependent on antigen expression (8). Similarly, bystander CD8+ T cells recruited during LCMV CNS infection did not appear to contribute to CNS damage, even after activation (36). Although these results contrast with the enhanced pathology mediated by activated LCMV antigen-specific TCR-transgenic bystander CD8+ T cells in JHMV-infected TCR/Rag 2/ mice (15), a consistent theme in all models is that only highly activated CD8+ T cells mediated a pathogenic affect with the CNS.
In conclusion, the data demonstrate that preimmune status can alter the composition of infiltrates into the CNS, especially very early following viral infection. While heterologous memory CD8+ T cells are indiscriminately recruited into the CNS as a component of the innate cellular response, they are rapidly displaced by pathogen-specific effector T cells. Furthermore, in the absence of cognate or cross-reactive antigen within the CNS, bystander T cells retain a memory phenotype, accumulate transiently, do not exert ex vivo cytolytic function, and are unlikely to contribute to immune pathology.
Present address: Division of Clinical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S1A8. ![]()
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