Cytotoxic T Cell Functions Accumulate When CD4 Is Downregulated by CD4⁺ T Cells in African Green Monkeys.

ABSTRACT: African green monkeys (AGMs) are a natural host of SIV that do not develop simian AIDS. Adult AGMs naturally have low numbers of CD4⁺ T cells and a large population of MHC class II-restricted CD8αα T cells that are generated through CD4 downregulation in CD4⁺ T cells. In this article, we study the functional profiles and SIV infection status in vivo of CD4⁺ T cells, CD8αα T cells, and CD8αβ T cells in lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of AGMs and rhesus macaques (in which CD4 downregulation is not observed). We show that, although CD8αα T cells in AGMs maintain functions associated with CD4⁺ T cells (including Th follicular functionality in lymphoid tissues and Th2 responses in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid), they als

SUBMITTER: Vinton CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5502537 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature