Article abstract


Nature Immunology 9, 155 - 165 (2008)
Published online: 13 January 2008 | doi:10.1038/ni1557

Direct priming of antiviral CD8+ T cells in the peripheral interfollicular region of lymph nodes

Heather D Hickman1, Kazuyo Takeda1, Cara N Skon1, Faith R Murray1, Scott E Hensley1, Joshua Loomis2, Glen N Barber2, Jack R Bennink1 & Jonathan W Yewdell1


It is uncertain how antiviral lymphocytes are activated in draining lymph nodes, the site where adaptive immune responses are initiated. Here, using intravital microscopy we show that after infection of mice with vaccinia virus (a large DNA virus) or vesicular stomatitis virus (a small RNA virus), virions drained to the lymph node and infected cells residing just beneath the subcapsular sinus. Naive CD8+ T cells rapidly migrated to infected cells in the peripheral interfollicular region and then formed tight interactions with dendritic cells, leading to complete T cell activation. Thus, antigen presentation at the lymph node periphery, not at lymphocyte exit sites in deeper lymph node venules, as dogma dictates, has a dominant function in antiviral CD8+ T cell activation.

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  1. Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.

Correspondence to: Jonathan W Yewdell1 e-mail: jyewdell@mail.nih.gov




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