Virus-specific CD8 T-cell responses in mice transgenic for a T-cell receptor β chain selected at random

Abstract

The consequences of severely limiting the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire available for the response to intranasal infection with an influenza A virus or with Sendai virus have been analyzed by using H-2(k) mice (TGS.1) transgenic for a TCR β-chain gene (Vβ8.1Dβ2Jβ2.3Cβ2). Analyzing the prevalence of Vβ8.1+ CD8+ T cells in lymph node cultures from nontransgenic (non-TG) H-2(k) controls primed with either virus and then stimulated in vitro with the homologous virus or with anti-CD3ε showed that this TCR is not normally selected from the CD8+ T-cell repertoire during these infections. However, the TG8.1 mice cleared both viruses and generated virus-specific effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes (C..