Sensitizing antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells for accelerated suicide causes immune incompetence
J. Clin. Invest. Christoph Wasem, et al. 111:1191 doi:10.1172/JCI16344 [Go to this article.]

Figure 3
Increased depletion of virus-specific CD8⁺ T cells in Bis VIII–treated animals. (a) TCR transgenic T cells were transferred into WT C57Bl/6 animals before infection with LCMV. Mice were then treated intraperitoneally every other day with either PBS or 220 μg of Bis VIII. At day 7, mice were sacrificed and the relative distribution of virus-specific T cells (percent Vα2⁺ CD8⁺ of total CD8⁺ T cells) in the spleen and the epithelial layer of the small intestine was analyzed by flow cytometry. Corresponding values from the same experiment are connected by lines; seven or eight experiments were analyzed. Statistical differences were analyzed by Student’s t test. Numbers in brackets and bars indicate mean values. (b) In vivo proliferation of LCMV-specific T cells. Control- or Bis VIII–treated animals were injected with [³H]thymidine at day 5 after viral infection, virus-specific T cells (Vα2⁺ CD8⁺) were isolated, and the percentage of DNA-synthesizing cells was analyzed by autoradiography. Mean values ± SD of three mice per group are shown. No statistically significant difference between the control group and the Bis VIII group was found. (c) Effect of Bis VIII on the in vivo expansion of virus-specific T cells. In the same experiment as shown in (b), the number of virus-specific T cells in the spleen was assessed at day 5 and day 7 after infection. At day 5, no significant differences were observed, whereas at day 7 significantly reduced levels of virus-specific T cells were detected in Bis VIII–treated versus control animals (P < 0.01). Mean values ± SD are shown (n = 3 per time point and group).