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CD8β knockout mice mount normal anti-viral CD8+ T cell responses—but why?

Angelov, Georgi S. ; Guillaume, Philippe ; Luescher, Immanuel F.

In: International Immunology, 2008, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 123-135

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    Title
    • CD8β knockout mice mount normal anti-viral CD8+ T cell responses—but why?
    Author
    • Angelov, Georgi S.. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    • Guillaume, Philippe. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    • Luescher, Immanuel F.. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • International Immunology, 2008, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 123-135. Oxford University Press
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:295364
    Summary
    It has been shown previously that CD8β in vitro increases the range and the sensitivity of antigen recognition and in vivo plays an important role in the thymic selection of CD8+ T cells. Consistent with this, we report here that CD8+ T cells from CD8β knockout (KO) P14 TCR transgenic mice proliferate inefficiently in vitro. In contrast to these findings, we also show that CD8β KO mice mount normal CD8 primary, secondary and memory responses to acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Tetramer staining and cytotoxic experiments revealed a predominance of CD8-independent CTL in CD8β KO mice. The TCR repertoire, especially the one of the TCRα chain, was different in CD8β KO mice as compared with B6 mice. Our results indicate that in the absence of CD8β, CD8-independent TCRs are preferentially selected, which in vivo effectively compensates for the reduced co-receptor function of CD8αα