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Differential expression of CD26 on virus‐specific CD8 + T cells during active, latent and resolved infection
Author(s) -
Ibegbu Chris C.,
Xu YongXian,
Fillos Dimitri,
Radziewicz Henry,
Grakoui Arash,
Kourtis Athena P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2008.02899.x
Subject(s) - biology , immune system , immunology , virology , cd8 , antigen , interleukin 7 receptor , memory t cell , virus , t cell , flow cytometry , cytotoxic t cell , il 2 receptor , biochemistry , in vitro
Summary The hallmark of effective establishment of immune memory is the long‐term memory cell that persists in the absence of antigen. To explore its characteristics, we investigated the differences between a resolved successful immune response, such as after influenza (flu) vaccination, and the state of chronic infection with persistent antigen, such as with cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to defective T‐cell memory. Immunophenotypic analyses using multi‐parameter flow cytometry and tetramer technology identified a unique pattern of CD26 high expression among influenza‐specific CD8 + T cells, but not among CD8 + T cells specific for CMV, EBV (three different epitopes) or HIV. The median percentage of CD8 + T cells expressing CD26 was 95·5% for influenza, but for cells specific for CMV, EBV and HIV it was 10·5%, 12%–19%, and 13·2%, respectively. These findings suggest that expression of CD26 high may be a characteristic of a memory cell. CD26 high expression correlates with expression of CD127, a marker of memory cells. Furthermore, CD26 high cells can produce interleukin‐2. These findings offer insight into the dynamics of T‐cell differentiation, and they may offer a specific marker of a successfully developed memory CD8 + T cell, that of CD26 high . This marker has the potential to be useful in studies of immune responses to infectious agents, and to new vaccine candidates.