IL-10 restricts memory T cell inflation during cytomegalovirus infection

J Immunol. 2010 Sep 15;185(6):3583-92. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1001535. Epub 2010 Aug 16.

Abstract

The beta-herpesvirus CMV induces a substantial and progressive expansion of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells, which protect the host against viral reactivation from latency. In this paper, we report that this expansion, or "inflation," of memory T cells is amplified dramatically during mouse CMV infection of IL-10 knockout (IL-10(-/-)) mice. T cells from IL-10(-/-) mice were oligoclonal, exhibited a highly activated phenotype, expressed antiviral cytokines, and degranulated in response to cognate Ag encounter ex vivo. Moreover, latent viral load was reduced in IL-10(-/-) mice. Importantly, these results were recapitulated by IL-10R blockade during chronic/latent infection of wild-type mice. These data demonstrate that regulatory immune mechanisms can influence CMV-specific T cell memory and suggest a possible rationale for the acquisition of functional IL-10 orthologs by herpesviruses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • BALB 3T3 Cells
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology*
  • Chronic Disease
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology
  • Growth Inhibitors / deficiency
  • Growth Inhibitors / genetics
  • Growth Inhibitors / physiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / immunology*
  • Herpesviridae Infections / pathology*
  • Immunologic Memory*
  • Interleukin-10 / deficiency
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Interleukin-10 / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Muromegalovirus / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / pathology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / virology
  • Virus Latency / immunology

Substances

  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Growth Inhibitors
  • Interleukin-10