Potent induction of long-term CD8+ T cell memory by short-term lL-4 exposure during T cell receptor stimulation

摘要

An important goal of vaccination is to achieve long-term survival of functional memory T cells. Using a MHC-compatible adoptive transfer system, we show here that a short. 3-day lL-4 but not lL-2l or IL-12 exposure during in for T cell receptor stimulation of naive CD8+ T cells induced long-lasting in vivo memory. Such long-term memory CD8+ T cells expressed antigen-specific cytotoxicity and the potential for lFN-y and IL-4 production. Our results support the concept that functional T cell longevity can be regulated by cytokines during initial antigen encounter and provide a rational foundation for vaccine development. They also may have implica- tions in formulating optimal therapeutic regimens of ex vivo expanded autologous cancer- and HlV-specific CD8+ T cells. In addition, the availability of large numbers of memory CD8+ T cells generated through our high-efficiency system should facili- tate progress in the molecular dissection of CD8+ T cell memory development.