Organ-Specific CD4 super(+) T Cell Response During Listeria monocytogenes Infection

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 168; no. 12; pp. 6382 - 6387
• Main Authors: Kursar, M, Bonhagen, K, Koehler, A, Kamradt, T, Kaufmann, SHE, Mittruecker, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15-06-2002
• ISSN: 0022-1767

The immune response against the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes involves both CD4 super(+) and CD8 super(+) T cells. We used the MHC class II-presented peptide listeriolysin sub(189 201) to characterize the organ-specific CD4 super(+) T cell response during infection. Systemic listeriosis resulted in a strong peptide-specific CD4 super(+) T cell response with frequencies of 1/100 and 1/30 CD4 super(+) splenocytes at the peak of primary and secondary response, respectively. This response was not restricted to lymphoid organs, because we detected specific CD4 super(+) T cells in all tissues analyzed. However, the tissue distribution of the T cell response was dependent on the route of infection. After i.v. infection, the strongest CD4 super(+) T cell response and the highest levels of memory cells were observed in spleen and liver, the major sites of L. monocytogenes replication. After oral infection, we detected a strong response in the liver, the lamina propria, and the intestinal epithelium. These tissues also harbored the highest frequencies of listeriolysin sub(189 201)-specific CD4 super(+) memory T cells 5 8 wk post oral infection. Our results show that kinetics and magnitude of the CD4 super(+) T cell response and the accumulation of CD4 super(+) memory T cells depend on the route of infection and are regulated in a tissue-specific way.