Effective priming of herpes simplex virusspecific CD8 T cells in vivo does not require infected dendritic cells

Abstract

Resolution of virus infections depends on the priming of virus-specific CD8+ T cells by dendritic cells (DC). While this process requires major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted antigen presentation by DC, the relative contribution to CD8+ T cell priming by infected DC is less clear. We have addressed this question in the context of a peripheral infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV). Assessing the endogenous, polyclonal HSV-specific CD8+ T cell response, we found that effective in vivo T cell priming depended on the presence of DC subsets specialized in cross-presentation, while Langerhans cells and plasmacytoid DC were dispensable. Utilizing a novel mouse model that ..