ovalbumin and Stomatitis

Based primarily on in vitro data, IL-2 is believed to be the key cytokine for initiation of the cell cycle of activated T cells. However, the role of IL-2 remains unresolved for T cell responses in vivo. We examined whether the absence of IL-2-mediated signaling in CD8 T cells affected initiation of proliferation. Our results conclusively demonstrated that initial division of Ag-specific CD8 T cells following priming was IL-2 independent, regardless of the context in which Ag was presented. In contrast, the latter stage of the proliferative phase was IL-2-dependent, particularly in nonlymphoid tissues. Thus, activated CD8 T cells initially undergo IL-2-independent proliferation, but reach a critical juncture where the requirement for IL-2 as a growth factor gains prominence.

Topics: Animals; Antigens, Neoplasm; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Cycle; Cell Division; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; Lymph Nodes; Lymphocyte Activation; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Ovalbumin; Receptors, Interleukin; Receptors, Interleukin-2; Recombinant Proteins; Stomatitis; Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus