Ex vivo phenotype and frequency of influenza virus-specific CD4 memory T cells

M Lucas, CL Day, JR Wyer, SL Cunliffe… - Journal of …, 2004 - Am Soc Microbiol
M Lucas, CL Day, JR Wyer, SL Cunliffe, A Loughry, AJ McMichael, P Klenerman
Journal of virology, 2004Am Soc Microbiol
Recent advances in class II tetramer staining technology have allowed reliable direct ex vivo
visualization of antigen-specific CD4 T cells. In order to define the frequency and phenotype
of a prototype response to a nonpersistent pathogen, we have used such techniques to
analyze influenza virus-specific memory CD4 T cells directly from blood. These responses
are stably detectable ex vivo at low frequencies (range, 0.00012 to 0.0061% of CD4 T cells)
and display a distinct “central memory” CD62L+ phenotype.
Abstract
Recent advances in class II tetramer staining technology have allowed reliable direct ex vivo visualization of antigen-specific CD4 T cells. In order to define the frequency and phenotype of a prototype response to a nonpersistent pathogen, we have used such techniques to analyze influenza virus-specific memory CD4 T cells directly from blood. These responses are stably detectable ex vivo at low frequencies (range, 0.00012 to 0.0061% of CD4 T cells) and display a distinct “central memory” CD62L+ phenotype.
American Society for Microbiology