Visualization of the in vivo generation of donor antigen-specific effector CD8+ T cells during mouse cardiac allograft rejection: in vivo effector CD8+ T cell generation during allograft rejection.

Journal article

BACKGROUND: An adoptive transfer system was used to study the fate of alloreactive CD8+ H-2Kb-specific TCR transgenic (DES+) T cells in vivo after transplantation. METHODS: A trace population of 2.0x10(6) CD8+DES+ T cells were adoptively transferred into syngeneic CBA.Ca (H-2k) mice 24 hr before transplantation of an H-2Kb+ or H-2Kb- cardiac allograft. RESULTS: H-2Kb specific T cells proliferated and produced interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma in response to H-2Kb+, but not H-2Kb- cardiac allografts. CD8+DES+ T cells that infiltrated the H-2Kb+ cardiac allografts developed a distinct cell surface and cytokine phenotype compared with the CD8+DES+ T cells that remained in the periphery. H-2Kb-specific graft infiltrating T cells (a) underwent a larger number of cell divisions (> =3), (b) increased in size, (c) up-regulated CD69, and (d) down-regulated CD62L. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that alloantigen-specific T cells can be monitored in vivo during the immune response to an allograft and that the fate of CD8+ T cells specific for the allogeneic class I molecules expressed by the graft is different between cells in the periphery and those that infiltrate the graft.

Authors: Gilot, B; Hara, M; Jones, N; van Maurik, A; Niimi, M

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Transplantation
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 639-648
• Publication date: 2000-02-01
• DOI: 10.1097/00007890-200002270-00028
• EISSN: 1534-6080
• ISSN: 0041-1337
• Language: English
• Keywords: CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Flow Cytometry; Graft Rejection; Mice; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Mice, Transgenic; Ionomycin; Mice, Inbred CBA; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; Interferon-gamma; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Heart Transplantation; Animals; Cell Division; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Epitopes; Graft Survival; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Tissue Donors; Adoptive Transfer; Cytokines; Transplantation, Homologous; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I