Primary infection with virus can stimulate a vigorous cytotoxic T cell response. The magnitude of the antigen-specific component versus the bystander component of a primary T cell response remains controversial. In this study, we have used tetrameric major histocompatibility complex–peptide complexes to directly visualize antigen-specific cluster of differentration (CD)8+ T cells during the primary immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in humans. We show that massive expansion of activated, antigen-specific T cells occurs during the primary response to this virus. In one individual, T cells specific for a single EBV epitope comprised 44% of the total CD8+ T cells within peripheral blood. The majority of the antigen-specific cells had an activated/memory phenotype, with expression of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) DR, CD38, and CD45RO, downregulation of CD62 leukocyte (CD62L), and low levels of expression of CD45RA. After recovery from AIM, the frequency of antigen-specific T cells fell in most donors studied, although populations of antigen-specific cells continued to be easily detectable for at least 3 yr.

Using HLA class I-viral epitope tetramers to monitor herpes virus-specific CD8+ T cell responses in humans, we have shown that a significant fraction of responding cells revert from a CD45RO+ to a CD45RA+ state after priming. All tetramer-binding CD45RA+ cells, regardless of epitope specificity, expressed a phenotype LFA-1highCCR7low that was stable for at least 10 years in infectious mononucleosis patients and indefinitely in asymptomatic carriers. CD8+CD45RA+LFA-1high cells were not present in cord blood but in adults account for up to 50% of CD8+CD45RA+ cells. These CD45RA+LFA-1high cells have significantly shorter telomeres than CD45RA+LFA-1low cells, suggesting that the latter represent a naive population, while the former are memory cells. CD45RA+ memory cells are a stable population of noncycling cells, but on stimulation they are potent producers of IFN-γ, while naive CD8+ cells produce only IL-2. The chemokine receptor profile and migratory potential of CD45RA+ memory cells is very similar to CD45RO+ cells but different to naive CD8 cells. In accord with this, CD45RA+ memory cells were significantly underrepresented in lymph nodes, but account for virtually all CD8+CD45RA+ T cells in peripheral tissues of the same individuals.

Epstein-Barr virus offers an ideal opportunity to follow the human T-cell response to a virus infection over time from its acute primary phase, as seen in infectious mononucleosis patients, into the memory phase that accompanies life-long virus persistence. Here we review recent evidence on the development and maturation of cytotoxic T-cell memory using this viral system.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a disease characterized by an uncontrolled clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, whose aetiology is still unclear. The clonal nature of LCH could support the hypothesis that it is a neoplastic disease with unlimited growth potential. One requirement for unlimited proliferation is the maintenance of telomere length. In a group of 70 patients, we set out to investigate whether a telomere maintenance mechanism is indeed active in LCH cells. This work showed that LCH cells from all restricted skin LCH lesions (6/6) expressed telomerase as assessed by human telomere reverse transcriptase (hTERT) immunohistochemistry, whereas LCH cells from the majority of the bone lesions analysed did not express hTERT (26/34). Interestingly, in contrast to the solitary bone lesions, LCH cells from lesions of multi-system patients always expressed telomerase (11/11), regardless of the lesional site. In situ telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assays performed on different lesional sites showed that this telomerase was active. In addition, the telomere length of LCH cells from a hTERT-positive skin multi-system lesion was long and homogeneous when compared to that in the LCH cells from hTERT-negative bone single-system LCH lesions, which was heterogeneous in length. No evidence for an alternative lengthening of telomeres mechanism was found in hTERT-negative lesions. The difference in telomerase expression and telomere length at the different lesional sites and in biopsies from patients with solitary versus multi-system disease appears to reflect the diverse clinical presentation and course of this disease. The results from this study have important implications for understanding the nature of this disease.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract