Phenotypic Characterization of Splenic T Cells from Mice Infected with Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi

1365-3083

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

T cells from spleens of mice infected with the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi have been analysed with respect to their expression of surface molecules CD3, CD4 and CDS and T-cell receptor (TCR)αβ and γδ. The majority of T cells from infected mice were αβTCR +. However, there was an increase of approximately 8–10-fold in the proportion and total number of γδ T cells. Immunocytochemical analysis of sections of spleens taken from infected C57BL/6 mice during a primary infection showed that this increase took place particularly in the non-lymphoid areas. Within the αβ TCR+ T-cell population, both CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were represented in proportions similar to those observed in normal uninfected mice. Stimulation of splenic T cells from infected mice with P. chabaudi-infected erythrocytes in vitro resulted ina blasted cell population composed predominantly of αβTTCR+ T cells with no preferential expansion of γβTCR+ T cells. There was no evidence of superantigen-like stimulation of T cells bearing particular Vβ chains of the TCR. The representation of the different Vβ chains within the population was not significantly different from that seen in uninfected mice.

Electronic Resource