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J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 188, Number 12, December 21, 1998 2205-2213
By
From the Emory Vaccine Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University
School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
We examined the regulation of virus-specific CD8 T cell responses during chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection of mice. Our study shows that within the same
persistently infected host, different mechanisms can operate to silence antiviral T cell responses;
CD8 T cells specific to one dominant viral epitope were deleted, whereas CD8 T cells responding to another dominant epitope persisted indefinitely. These virus-specific CD8 T cells expressed activation markers (CD69hi, CD44hi, CD62Llo) and proliferated in vivo but were unable to elaborate any antiviral effector functions. This unresponsive phenotype was more pronounced under conditions of CD4 T cell deficiency, highlighting the importance of CD8-
CD4 T cell collaboration in controlling persistent infections. Importantly, in the presence of
CD4 T cell help, adequate CD8 effector activity was maintained and the chronic viral infection eventually resolved. The persistence of activated virus-specific CD8 T cells without effector
function reveals a novel mechanism for silencing antiviral immune responses and also offers
new possibilities for enhancing CD8 T cell immunity in chronically infected hosts.
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