Science Immunology: Memory killer T cells are injected into the spleen during influenza infection

CD8+ T cells are called "killer T cells" and are the killer of the immune system

Start involving dendritic cells-the sentinel of the immune system

For a long time, it has been believed that the starting site of influenza is limited to one anatomical site-lung drainage, the mediastinal lymph nodes located between the lungs and the spine

Researchers led by Dr.

This is surprising and important

However, the precursors produced by the cells activated in the spleen have a stronger ability to differentiate into long-lived, stem-like memory T cells

Ballesteros-Tato said: "We have shown that CD8+ T cells respond to the same antigen in different anatomical locations and produce cells with different functions.

He said: "Our results demonstrate a dendritic cell transport pathway that connects the lungs and blood circulation, and confirms that the spleen is the main site for the activation of long-term memory T cell precursors

UAB researchers used a mouse/influenza virus infection model and found that the initiation in the spleen is completed by a part of migrating lung dendritic cells, which leave the lymph nodes, enter the bloodstream, and return to the spleen

Ballesteros-Tato and colleagues further found that 45 days after infection, CD8+ T cells in the spleen and CD8+ T cells in the lymph nodes are indistinguishable in terms of phenotype.

In the experimental results supporting their new paradigm, the researchers found that when dendritic cells cannot migrate out of the lung, or when the lymph node outlet is inhibited, dendritic cells carrying lung-derived antigens cannot accumulate in the spleen, thereby preventing it from accumulating in the spleen.

But how do lung-migrating dendritic cells transfer from the lymph nodes to the spleen?

Ballesteros-Tato said: "Neither the mediastinal lymph nodes nor the lungs can be directly connected to the spleen through the lymphatic vessels

Ballesteros-Tato pointed out that most of the knowledge about stem cell-like CD8+ T cells comes from tumor models or chronic systemic viral infections

DOI

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Lung dendritic cells migrate to the spleen to prime long-lived TCF1hi memory CD8+ T cell precursors after influenza infection