CD8⁺ Des-TCR T cells were activated within the liver and proliferated following adoptive transfer into H-2^dk recipient Alb-K^b and Met-K^b transgenic mice. (A) Alb-K^b, Met-K^b, and control mice were injected with CFSE-labeled syngeneic Des-TCR (H-2^dk) LN cells (top panels) or Des-TCR RAG-1^–/– (H-2^k) LN cells (bottom panels). Lymphocytes were purified from LNs, liver, spleen, and blood of recipient mice at 2 hours 15 minutes following adoptive transfer and analyzed by flow cytometry. Representative histograms show CD69 expression by CFSE⁺ CD8⁺ CD44^low cells within a forward and side scatter gate appropriate for lymphocytes. (B and C) Alb-K^b, Met-K^b, and control mice were injected with CFSE-labeled syngeneic Des-TCR (H-2^dk) LN cells containing 5 × 10⁶ transgenic CD8⁺ T cells. Lymphocytes were purified from LNs, liver, spleen, and blood of recipient mice at 2.5 days (B) or 6 days (C) following adoptive transfer and analyzed by flow cytometry. Histograms represent CFSE division profiles of CD8⁺ Des-TCR⁺ PI^– cells within a forward and side scatter gate appropriate for lymphocytes. (D and E) Total numbers of Des-TCR⁺ CD8⁺ cells expressing upregulated levels of CD43 activation–associated glycoform in various compartments of Alb-K^b, Met-K^b, and B10.BR mice. CFSE-labeled LN cells from Des-TCR mice were adoptively transferred into Alb-K^b, Met-K^b, and B10.BR mice. Organs were harvested at day 2.5 (D) or day 6 (E), and lymphocytes were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell numbers for blood represent Des-TCR CD8⁺ T cells/ml; plots represent means ± SEM of groups of 3–4 mice.