Functional differences between memory and naive CD8 T cells

作者：Bryan K. Cho, Changyu Wang, Satoshi Sugawa, Herman N. Eisen, Jianzhu Chen · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：1999 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.96.6.2976 · 被引用次数：217 · 研究领域：T-cell and B-cell Immunology、Immune Cell Function and Interaction、Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

To determine how murine memory and naive T cells differ, we generated large numbers of long-lived memory CD8(+) T cells and compared them to naive cells expressing the same antigen-specific receptor (T cell receptor; TCR). Although both populations expressed similar levels of TCR and CD8, on antigen stimulation in vitro memory T cells down-regulated their TCR faster and more extensively and secreted IFN-gamma and IL-2 faster than naive T cells. Memory cells were also larger, and when freshly isolated from mice they contained perforin and killed target cells without having to be restimulated. They further differed from naive cells in requiring IL-15 for proliferation and in having a greater tendency to undergo apoptosis in vitro. On antigen stimulation in vivo, however, they proliferated more rapidly than naive cells. These findings suggest that, unlike naive T cells, CD8 memory T cells are intrinsically programmed to rapidly express their effector functions in vivo without having to undergo clonal expansion and differentiation.