Type I interferons act directly on CD8 T cells to allow clonal expansion and memory formation in response to viral infection

T cell expansion and memory formation are generally more effective when elicited by live organisms than by inactivated vaccines. Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms is important for vaccination and therapeutic strategies. We show that the massive expansion of antigen-specific CD8 T cells that occurs in response to viral infection is critically dependent on the direct action of type I interferons (IFN-Is) on CD8 T cells. By examining the response to infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus using IFN-I receptor-deficient (IFN-IR(0)) and -sufficient CD8 T cells adoptively transferred into normal IFN-IR wild-type hosts, we show that the lack of direct CD8 T cell contact with IFN-I causes >99%…

• UO
  University of Washington
• NI
  National Institutes of Health