Late-rising CD4 T cells resolve mouse cytomegalovirus persistent replication in the salivary gland.

ABSTRACT: Conventional antiviral memory CD4 T cells typically arise during the first two weeks of acute infection. Unlike most viruses, cytomegalovirus (CMV) exhibits an extended persistent replication phase followed by lifelong latency accompanied with some gene expression. We show that during mouse CMV (MCMV) infection, CD4 T cells recognizing an epitope derived from the viral M09 protein only develop after conventional memory T cells have already peaked and contracted. Ablating these CD4 T cells by mutating the M09 genomic epitope in the MCMV Smith strain, or inducing them by introducing the epitope into the K181 strain, resulted in delayed or enhanced control of viral persistence, respectively. These cells were shown to be unique compared to their conventional memory counterparts; producing high

SUBMITTER: Brunel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10796040 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature