Open AccessConstitutive Expression of IL-7 Receptor α Does Not Support Increased Expansion or Prevent Contraction of Antigen-Specific CD4 or CD8 T Cells following Listeria monocytogenes Infection
Author(s) -
Jodie S. Haring,
Xuefang Jing,
Julie Bollenbacher-Reilley,
Hai-Hui Xue,
Warren J. Leonard,
John T. Harty
Publication year - 2008
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.180.5.2855
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , biology , interleukin 7 receptor , cd8 , effector , memory t cell , t cell , immunology , antigen , microbiology and biotechnology , il 2 receptor , immune system , in vitro , biochemistry
Expression of IL-7Ralpha (CD127) has been suggested as a major determinant in the survival of memory T cell precursors. We investigated whether constitutive expression of IL-7Ralpha on T cells increased expansion and/or decreased contraction of endogenous Ag-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells following infection with Listeria monocytogenes. The results indicate that constitutive expression of IL-7Ralpha alone was not enough to impart an expansion or survival advantage to CD8 T cells responding to infection, and did not increase memory CD8 T cell numbers over those observed in wild-type controls. Constitutive expression of IL-7Ralpha did allow for slightly prolonged expansion of Ag-specific CD4 T cells; however, it did not alter the contraction phase or protect against the waning of memory T cell numbers at later times after infection. Memory CD4 and CD8 T cells generated in IL-7Ralpha transgenic mice expanded similarly to wild-type T cells after secondary infection, and immunized IL-7Ralpha transgenic mice were fully protected against lethal bacterial challenge demonstrating that constitutive expression of IL-7Ralpha does not impair, or markedly improve memory/secondary effector T cell function. These results indicate that expression of IL-7Ralpha alone does not support increased survival of effector Ag-specific CD4 or CD8 T cells into the memory phase following bacterial infection.