The Journal of Experimental Medicine
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Published 17 June 2002. doi:10.1084/jem.20020369
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© Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007/2002/6/1541/ $5.00
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Volume 195, Number 12, June 17, 2002 1541-1548

Interleukin 15 Is Required for Proliferative Renewal of Virus-specific Memory CD8 T Cells

Todd C. Becker1, E. John Wherry1, David Boone3, Kaja Murali-Krishna1, Rustom Antia2, Averil Ma3 and Rafi Ahmed1

1 Emory Vaccine Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
2 Department of Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
3 Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637

Address correspondence to R. Ahmed, Emory Vaccine Center, G211 Rollins Research Bldg., 1510 Clinton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: 404-727-4700; Fax: 404-727-3722; E-mail: ra{at}microbio.emory.edu

The generation and efficient maintenance of antigen-specific memory T cells is essential for long-lasting immunological protection. In this study, we examined the role of interleukin (IL)-15 in the generation and maintenance of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells using mice deficient in either IL-15 or the IL-15 receptor {alpha} chain. Both cytokine- and receptor-deficient mice made potent primary CD8 T cell responses to infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), effectively cleared the virus and generated a pool of antigen-specific memory CD8 T cells that were phenotypically and functionally similar to memory CD8 T cells present in IL-15+/+ mice. However, longitudinal analysis revealed a slow attrition of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells in the absence of IL-15 signals.This loss of CD8 T cells was due to a severe defect in the proliferative renewal of antigen-specific memory CD8 T cells in IL-15-/- mice. Taken together, these results show that IL-15 is not essential for the generation of memory CD8 T cells, but is required for homeostatic proliferation to maintain populations of memory cells over long periods of time.

Key Words: CD8 T cell • immunological memory • IL-15 • homeostasis • viral immunity


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