Clearance of Sendai virus by CD8 T cells requires direct targeting to virus‐infected epithelium

Abstract

Minimal numbers of CD8+ T cells are found in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) populations recovered from Sendai virus‐infected mice that are homozygous (−/−) for β2‐microglobulin (β2‐m) gene disruption. The prevalence of the CD8+ set was substantially increased in the pneumonic lungs of 8−12‐week radiation chimeras made using substantially class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) glycoprotein‐negative β2‐m (−/−) recipients and normal β2‐m (+/+) bone marrow. Even so, the CD8+ (but not the CD4+) lymphocyte counts were still much lower than in the (+/+)→(+/+) controls. The (+/+)→(+/+) and (+/+)→(−/−) chimeras cleared Sendai virus and potent virus‐immune CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) spec..