Open AccessCutting Edge: Conventional CD8α+ Dendritic Cells Are Generally Involved in Priming CTL Immunity to Viruses
Author(s) -
Gabrielle T. Belz,
Christopher M. Smith,
Daniel Eichner,
Ken Shortman,
Gunasegaran Karupiah,
Federico Carbone,
William R. Heath
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the journal of immunology/the journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.737
H-Index - 372
eISSN - 1550-6606
pISSN - 0022-1767
DOI - 10.4049/jimmunol.172.4.1996
Subject(s) - ctl* , immunity , priming (agriculture) , immunology , biology , virology , immune system , cd8 , virus , botany , germination
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in initiating immune responses. Despite this, there is little understanding how different DC subsets contribute to immunity to different pathogens. CD8alpha(+) DC have been shown to prime immunity to HSV. Whether this very limited capacity of a single DC subset priming CTL immunity is restricted to HSV infection or is a more general property of anti-viral immunity was examined. Here, we show that the CD8alpha(+) DCs are the principal DC subset that initiates CTL immunity to s.c. infection by influenza virus, HSV, and vaccinia virus. This same subset also dominated immunity after i.v. infection with all three viruses, suggesting a similar involvement in other routes of infection. These data highlight the general role played by CD8alpha(+) DCs in CTL priming to viral infection and raises the possibility that this DC subset is specialized for viral immunity.