MHC Class I-Dependent Presentation of Exoerythrocytic Antigens to CD8+ TLymphocytes is Required for Protective Immunity against Plasmodium berghei

摘要

T lymphocytes are believed to play a major role in protection against malaria.Previous experiments using invivo depletion of CD8+ T cells, reconstitution with CD8+ T splenic cells, and transfer of CD8+ CTL clones demonstrated that protection against the exoerythrocytic stage of the murine strain, Plasmodium berghei malaria, was CD8+ T cell-dependent. Despite evidence for the critical role of CD8+ CTL, neither the cellular nor the molecular requirements for CD8+ T cell induction or for recognition of malaria Ags are known. In this study we wished to define the role of CD8+ T cells and MHC class I molecules by using the b2-microglobulin (b2m) knockout (-/-) mice. In contrast to observations that b2m -