CD8 and CD4 T cells infiltrate into the brain during plasmodium berghei ANKA infection and form long-term resident memory

Abstract

In the Plasmodium berghei ANKA mouse model of malaria, accumulation of CD8+ T cells and infected RBCs in the brain promotes the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). In this study, we used malaria-specific transgenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to track evolution of T cell immunity during the acute and memory phases of P. berghei ANKA infection. Using a combination of techniques, including intravital multiphoton and confocal microscopy and flow cytometric analysis, we showed that, shortly before onset of ECM, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations exit the spleen and begin infiltrating the brain blood vessels. Although dominated by CD8+ T cells, a proportion of both T cell subsets ent..