Project description:CD4 and CD8 T cells display functional defects during chronic infection such as loss of certain cytokines. Recent studies have suggested that CD4 T cells may actually gain other functions, however. Here, we analyzed gene expression profiles from LCMV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells throughout the response to either acute LCMV or chronic LCMV infection. This alllowed us to identify CD4-specific changes during chronic infection compared to acute infection but also revealed shared core regulators between CD4 and CD8 T cells. LCMV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells were isolated 6, 8, 15 and 30 days post infection with LCMV Armstrong or LCMV clone 13. Naïve CD4 and CD8 T cells were also isolated from naïve mice as comparisons. Four replicates of each sample were hybridized. The only exception is LCMV-specific CD4 T cells isolated 6 days post infection with LCMV-Arm where only three replicates were hybridized.
Project description:CD4 and CD8 T cells display functional defects during chronic infection such as loss of certain cytokines. Recent studies have suggested that CD4 T cells may actually gain other functions, however. Here, we analyzed gene expression profiles from LCMV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells throughout the response to either acute LCMV or chronic LCMV infection. This alllowed us to identify CD4-specific changes during chronic infection compared to acute infection but also revealed shared core regulators between CD4 and CD8 T cells.
Project description:Understanding the response of memory CD8 T cells to persistent antigen re-stimulation and the role of CD4 T cell help is critical to the design of successful vaccines for chronic diseases. However, studies comparing the protective abilities and qualities of memory and naïve cells have been mostly performed in acute infections, and little is known about their roles during chronic infections. Herein, we show that memory cells dominate over naïve cells and are protective when present in large enough numbers to quickly reduce infection. In contrast, when infection is not rapidly reduced, memory cells are quickly lost, unlike naïve cells. This loss of memory cells is due to (i) an early block in cell proliferation, (ii) selective regulation by the inhibitory receptor 2B4, and (iii) increased reliance on CD4 T cell help. These findings have important implications towards the design of T cell vaccines against chronic infections and tumors. 16 samples are analyzed: 3 replicates of secondary effector CD8 P14 T cells at day 8 post-acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection; 4 replicates of secondary effector CD8 P14 T cells at day 8 post-chronic LCMV infection; 4 replicates of primary effector CD8 P14 T cells at day 8 post-acute LCMV infection; and 5 replicates of primary effector CD8 P14 T cells at day 8 post-chronic LCMV infection.
Project description:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a cardinal role in the immune system by suppressing detrimental autoimmune responses, but their role in acute and chronic infectious diseases remains unclear. We recently demonstrated that IFN- receptor (IFNAR) signaling promotes Treg function in autoimmunity. To dissect the functional role of IFNAR-signaling in Tregs during acute and chronic viral infection, we infected Treg-specific IFNAR deficient (IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre) mice with LCMV Armstrong and Clone-13. In both models, IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice Tregs expressed enhanced expression of Treg associated activation antigens. The enhanced activated phenotype was also seen when we compared the transcriptomes of IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre and wild type (WT) Tregs by RNA-Seq on day 25-post Clone-13 infection. LCMV-specific CD8+ T cells from IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice produced less antiviral IFN and TNF in both acute and chronic LCMV. In the chronic model, the numbers of anti-viral effector and memory CD8+ T cells were decreased in IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice and the effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells exhibited a phenotype compatible with enhanced exhaustion. IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice cleared Armstrong infection normally, but had higher viral titers in sera, kidneys and lungs than WT mice during chronic infection. Thus, type I IFN signaling in Tregs is context-dependent, resulting in enhanced suppressor function in some models of autoimmunity, but decreased suppressor function in acute and chronic viral infection.
Project description:The goal of this study was to identify the molecular programming using ATAC-seq of CD8 T cells responding to different viral infections. Mice were infected with either LCMV Armstrong to model an acute infection or LCMV Clone-13 to model a chronic infection. At various time points following infection, virus-specific CD8 T cells were purified and ATAC-seq performed. These data identify the changes in chromatin accessibility associated with acute infections and the establishment of functional memory versus those accessibility changes associated with chronic infection.
Project description:CD4 T cells promote innate and adaptive immune responses, but how vaccine-elicited CD4 T cells contribute to immune protection remains unclear. Here we evaluated whether induction of virus-specific CD4 T cells by vaccination would protect mice against infection with chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Immunization with vaccines that selectively induced CD4 T cell responses resulted in catastrophic inflammation and mortality following challenge with a persistent form of LCMV. Immunopathology required antigen-specific CD4 T cells and was associated with a cytokine storm, generalized inflammation, and multi-organ system failure. Virus-specific CD8 T cells or antibodies abrogated the pathology. These data demonstrate that vaccine-elicited CD4 T cells in the absence of effective antiviral immune responses can trigger lethal immunopathology. Splenic GP66-specific CD4 T cells from mice immunized with either a LMwt vaccine (sham) or LMgp61 vaccine (CD4 vaccine) were purified by FACS on day 8 post-infection with LCMV clone 13
Project description:CD4+ T cells play a critical role in sustaining the effector function of CD8+ T cells during chronic viral infection. When CD4+ T cell “help” is absent, CD8+ T cells enter a dysfunctional state, losing their capacity for viral control. However, when CD4+ T cell help is present, a heterogenous population of virus-specific CD8+ T cells are present. Here, we applied scRNA-seq to distinguish CD8+ T cell heterogeneity during LCMV Clone 13 infection.
Project description:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a cardinal role in the immune system by suppressing detrimental autoimmune responses, but their role in acute/chronic infectious diseases and in the tumor microenvironment remains unclear. We recently demonstrated that IFN-a/b receptor (IFNAR) signaling promotes Treg function in autoimmunity. Here, we dissected the functional role of IFNAR-signaling in Tregs using Treg-specific IFNAR deficient (IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre) mice in acute LCMV Armstrong, chronic LCMV Clone-13 infection, and in a transplantable colon adenocarcinoma model. In both viral and tumor models, IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice Tregs expressed enhanced Treg associated activation antigens. The enhanced activated phenotype was also seen when we compared the transcriptomes of IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice Tregs with the wild type (WT) Tregs by RNA-Seq on day 5 Armstrong and day 25-post Clone-13 infection. LCMV-specific CD8+ T cells and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes from IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice produced less antiviral and antitumor IFN-g and TNF-a. In the chronic infection model, the numbers of antiviral effector and memory CD8+ T cells were decreased in IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice and the effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells exhibited a phenotype compatible with enhanced exhaustion. IFNARfl/flxFoxp3YFP-Cre mice cleared Armstrong infection normally, but had higher viral titers in sera, kidneys and lungs during chronic infection, and a higher tumor burden than the WT controls. Thus, type I IFN signaling in Tregs is context-dependent, resulting in enhanced suppressor function in some models of autoimmunity, but decreased suppressor function in acute/chronic viral infection and in the tumor microenvironment.
Project description:We processed single cell RNA-Sequencing using 10X Genomics platform to study the population dynamics of LCMV antigen specific CD8+ T cells during early phase of acute and chronic infection.
Project description:Regulatory T (Treg) cells act as terminators in the case of T cell immunity during the acute phase of viral infection. However, their roles in chronic viral infection are not completely understood. We compared the phenotype and function of Treg cells during acute and chronic viral infection using lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-infected mouse models. Chronic infection, unlike acute infection, led to induction of Treg cells and upregulation of various inhibitory receptors. Treg cells isolated from chronically infected mice (chronic Treg cells) displayed greater suppressive capacity for inhibiting T cell proliferation and subsequent cytokine production than those from naM-CM-/ve (naive Treg cells) or acutely infected mice (acute Treg cells). These gene expression profiles provided evidence that chronic Treg cells display characteristics distinct from either naive or acute Treg cells. Mouse splenic CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells were analyzed at 0 day and 16 day after acute or chronic viral infection with LCMV Arm or CL13, respectively.