Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Journal stats
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • ASCI Milestone Awards
    • Video Abstracts
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Emerging therapeutic strategies in breast cancer (Oct 2026)
    • The cGAS-STING pathway: DNA sensing in health and disease (Jun 2026)
    • Neurodegeneration (Mar 2026)
    • Clinical innovation and scientific progress in GLP-1 medicine (Nov 2025)
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles
  • Search Articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • ASCI Milestone Awards
  • Video Abstracts
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Journal stats
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI5102

The importance of local mucosal HIV-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes for resistance to mucosal viral transmission in mice and enhancement of resistance by local administration of IL-12.

I M Belyakov, J D Ahlers, B Y Brandwein, P Earl, B L Kelsall, B Moss, W Strober, and J A Berzofsky

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Belyakov, I. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Ahlers, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Brandwein, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Earl, P. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Kelsall, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Moss, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Strober, W. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Find articles by Berzofsky, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published December 15, 1998 - More info

Published in Volume 102, Issue 12 on December 15, 1998
J Clin Invest. 1998;102(12):2072–2081. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI5102.
© 1998 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published December 15, 1998 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

Although crucial to mucosal vaccine development, the mechanisms of defense against mucosal viral infection are still poorly understood. Protection, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and neutralizing antibodies have all been observed, but cause and effect have been difficult to determine. The ability of CTL in the mucosa to mediate protection against mucosal viral transmission has never been proven. Here, we use an HIV peptide immunogen and an HIV-1 gp160-expressing recombinant vaccinia viral intrarectal murine challenge system, in which neutralizing antibodies do not play a role, to demonstrate for the first time that long-lasting immune resistance to mucosal viral transmission can be accomplished by CD8(+) CTL that must be present in the mucosal site of exposure. The resistance is ablated by depleting CD8(+) cells in vivo and requires CTL in the mucosa, whereas systemic (splenic) CTL are shown to be unable to protect against mucosal challenge. Furthermore, the resistance as well as the CTL response can be increased by local mucosal delivery of IL-12 with the vaccine. These results imply that induction of local mucosal CTL may be critical for success of a vaccine against viruses transmitted through a mucosal route, such as HIV.

Version history
  • Version 1 (December 15, 1998): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts