Characteristics of the influenza virus-specific CD8 T cell response in mice homozygous for disruption of the H-2IAb gene

Abstract

The development of influenza virus-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTLp) is diminished in H-2b mice that are homozygous (-/-) for disruption of the H-2IAb gene. Virus clearance was not obviously delayed when compared with the congenic H-2IAb (+/+) controls, and evidence of CTL activity was apparent for inflammatory cells recovered from the respiratory tract in both cases. However, the virus-specific CTLp that are normally present in the regional lymph nodes and in the infected lung were evidently being consumed at the peak of the host response to give the terminally differentiated CTL effectors. Even so, any exhaustion of the CTLp pool was apparently transitory with this loc..