CD8+ T cells during acute viral respiratory infection are uniquely differentiated and regulated by multiple inhibitory receptors

Acute viral infection typically generates functional effector CD8+ T cells that aid in pathogen clearance. However, during acute viral lower respiratory infection (LRI), lung CD8+ T cells are functionally impaired and do not optimally control viral replication, while spleen CD8+ T cells specific for the same viral epitopes remain fully functional. To better understand the mechanisms governing lung CD8+ T cell impairment, we used flow cytometry to sort anti-viral CD8+ T cells during viral LRI. Lung and spleen cells were stained with MHC-class I tetramers representing the immunodominant anti-viral CD8+ T cell epitope. We then sorted to high purity: nave CD8+ T cells, spleen epitope-specific CD8+ T cells, lung epitope-specific CD8+ cells and secondary infection lung epitope-specific CD8+ T cells. We then performed a genome wide transcriptional analysis of these cells to characterize the gene expression profile of lung CD8+ T cell impairment.

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Erickson JJ, Lu P, Wen S, Hastings AK, Gilchuk P, Joyce S, Shyr Y, Williams JV