Preferential Localization of Effector Memory Cells in Nonlymphoid Tissue
David Masopust,
Vaiva Vezys,
Amanda L. Marzo,
Leo Lefrançois*
Many intracellular pathogens infect a broad range of
host tissues, but the importance of T cells for immunity in these sites is unclear because most of our understanding of antimicrobial T cell
responses comes from analyses of lymphoid tissue. Here, we show that in
response to viral or bacterial infection, antigen-specific CD8 T cells
migrated to nonlymphoid tissues and were present as long-lived memory
cells. Strikingly, CD8 memory T cells isolated from nonlymphoid tissues
exhibited effector levels of lytic activity directly ex vivo, in
contrast to their splenic counterparts. These results point to the
existence of a population of extralymphoid effector memory T cells
poised for immediate response to infection.
Division of Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of
Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
llefranc{at}neuron.uchc.edu
