Memory CD8 T-cell compartment grows in size with immunological experience

Vezys, V., Yates, A. , Casey, K. A., Lanier, G., Ahmed, R., Antia, R. and Masopust, D. (2009) Memory CD8 T-cell compartment grows in size with immunological experience. Nature, 457(7226), pp. 196-199. (doi: 10.1038/nature07486)

Abstract

Memory CD8 T cells, generated by natural pathogen exposure or intentional vaccination, protect the host against specific viral infections. It has long been proposed that the number of memory CD8 T cellsin the hostis inflexible, and thatindividual cells are constantly competing for limited space. Consequently, vaccines that introduce over-abundant quantities of memory CD8 T cells specific for an agent of interest could have catastrophic consequences for the host by displacing memory CD8 T cells specific for all previous infections. To test this paradigm, we developed a vaccination regimen in mice that introduced as many new long-lived memory CD8 T cells specific for a single vaccine antigen as there were memory CD8 T cells in the host before vaccination. Here we show that, in contrast to expectations, the size of the memory CD8 T-cell compartment doubled to accommodate these new cells, a change due solely to the addition of effector memory CD8 T cells. This increase did not affect the number of CD4 T cells, B cells or naive CD8 T cells, and pre-existing memory CD8 T cells specific for a previously encountered infection were largely preserved. Thus, the number of effector memory CD8 T cells in the mammalian host adapts according to immunological experience. Developing vaccines that abundantly introduce new memory CD8 T cells should not necessarily ablate pre-existing immunity to other infections.

• Item Type: Articles (Letter)
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Yates, Professor Andrew
• Authors: Vezys, V., Yates, A., Casey, K. A., Lanier, G., Ahmed, R., Antia, R., and Masopust, D.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Nature
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• ISSN (Online): 1476-4687