Throughout most of adult life, lymphocyte number remains constant because of a balance of proliferation and apoptosis. Mutation of Bim, a proapoptotic protein in the intrinsic death pathway, or Fas, a tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily member of the extrinsic pathway, results in late-onset autoimmunity and increased antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell responses during viral infection. However, virus-specific immune responses eventually return to amounts comparable to those for nonmutant mice. Here, we show that loss of both Bim and Fas function resulted in a synergistic disruption of lymphoid homeostasis, rapid-onset autoimmunity, and organ-specific blocks on contraction of antiviral immune responses. When lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-specific immune responses were quantitated, double-mutant mice had 100-fold more antigen-specific memory CD8(+) T cells in their lymph nodes than wild-type mice. Our results demonstrate that multiple death pathways function concurrently to prevent autoimmunity and downsize T cell responses.

Objective-The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an atherogenic diet on immune function in LDLr Ϫ/Ϫ , ApoA-I Ϫ/Ϫ mice. Methods and Results-When LDLrϪ/Ϫ , ApoA-I Ϫ/Ϫ (DKO), and LDLr Ϫ/Ϫ (SKO) mice were fed an atherogenic diet, DKO had larger peripheral lymph nodes (LNs) and spleens compared to SKO mice. LNs were enriched in cholesterol and contain expanded populations of T, B, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Expansion of all classes of LN cells was accompanied by a Ϸ1.5-fold increase in T cell proliferation and activation. Plasma antibodies to dsDNA, ␤2-glycoprotein I, and oxidized LDL were increased in DKO, similar to levels in diet-fed Fas lpr/lpr mice, suggesting the development of an autoimmune phenotype. Both LN enlargement and cellular cholesterol expansion were "prevented" when diet-fed DKO mice were treated with helper dependent adenovirus expressing apoA-I. Independent of the amount of dietary cholesterol, DKO mice consistently showed lower plasma cholesterol than SKO mice, yet greater aortic cholesterol deposition and inflammation. Conclusions-ApoA-I prevented cholesterol-associated lymphocyte activation and proliferation in peripheral LN of diet-fed DKO mice. A Ϸ1.5-fold increase in T cell activation and proliferation was associated with a Ϸ3-fold increase in concentrations of circulating autoantibodies and Ϸ2-fold increase in the severity of atherosclerosis suggesting a common link between plasma apoA-I, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.

Apoptosis is critical for the development and maintenance of the immune system. The proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim is important for normal immune system homeostasis. NP396-404؉ T cells in Bim mutant mice were due to lack of apoptosis and could not be explained by altered proliferation, differential homing to tissues, or increased help from CD4 ؉ T cells. When viral titers were examined, high levels were initially observed in both groups, but in Bim mutant mice, clearance from the spleen and sera was slightly accelerated. These experiments demonstrate the critical role of Bim during chronic viral infection to down-regulate CD8 ؉ T-cell responses and have implications for designing strategies for optimizing immunotherapies during situations where antigen persists, such as chronic infection, autoimmune syndromes, and cancer.

These results demonstrate that PrdxII controls effector CD8؉ T cell expansion, secondary memory generation, and immunopathology.

During many infections, large numbers of effector CD8+ T cells are generated. After pathogen clearance, the majority of these cells undergo apoptosis, while the survivors differentiate into memory CD8+ T cells. Although loss of both Bim and Fas function dramatically increased antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the lymph nodes following acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, it was unclear whether they were pardoned effector or true memory CD8+ T cells. In this study, we demonstrate they are bona fide memory T cells as characterized by surface marker expression, cytokine production, homeostatic proliferation, and ability to clear a secondary challenge of pathogen. Loss of both Bim and Fas also increased the number of virus-specific CD4+ T cells found in the lymph nodes compared to the parental genotypes or wildtype mice. These studies illustrate that decreasing apoptosis increases the number of memory T cells and therefore could increase the efficacy of vaccines.