Abstract
MEMORY is a hallmark of the immune system and ever since its recognition there has been considerable interest in understanding how immunity is maintained1–5. The current model is that long-term memory is dependent on persistent antigenic stimulation6–11. We report here results that challenge this view and provide evidence that antigen is not essential for the maintenance of CD8+ T-cell memory. We show that memory CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes persist indefinitely in the absence of priming antigen, retain the memory phenotype (CD44hi), and provide protection against virus challenge. These findings suggest a re-evaluation of our current thinking on mechanisms involved in maintaining immunity and have implications towards designing effective vaccination strategies.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beverley, P. C. L. Curr. Topics Microbiol. Immun. 159, 111–122 (1990).
Ahmed, R. Semin. Immun. 4, 105–109 (1992).
Bradley, L. M., Croft, M. & Swain, S. L. Immun. Today 14, 197–199 (1993).
Mackay, C. R. Adv. Immun. 53, 217–265 (1993).
Sprent, J. Curr. Opin. Immun. 5, 433–438 (1993).
Celada, F. Prog. Allergy 15, 223–267 (1971).
Gray, D. & Skarvall, H. Nature 336, 70–72 (1988).
Zinkernagel, R. M. Curr. Topics Microbiol. Immun. 159, 65–77 (1990).
Gray, D. & Matzinger, P. J. exp. Med. 174, 969–974 (1992).
Oehen, S., Waldner, H., Kundig, M., Hengartner, H. & Zinkernagel, R. M. J. exp. Med. 176, 1273–1281 (1992).
Paul, W. (ed.) Fundamental Immunology 3rd edn 1211–1250 (Raven, New York, 1993).
Tew, J. G., Phipps, R. P. & Mandel, T. E. Immun. Rev. 53, 175–201 (1980).
Whitton, J. L., Southern, P. J. & Oldstone, M. B. A. Virology 162, 321–327 (1988).
Matloubian, M., Kolhekar, S. R., Somasundaram, T. & Ahmed, R. J. Virol. 67, 7340–7349 (1993).
Jamieson, B. D. & Ahmed, R. J. exp. Med. 169, 1993–2005 (1989).
MacDonald, H. R., Budd, R. C. & Cerottini, J. C. Curr. Topics Microbiol. Immun. 159, 97–109 (1990).
Tabi, Z., Lynch, F., Ceredig, R., Allan, J. E. & Doherty, P. C. Cell. Immun. 113, 268–277 (1988).
Ahmed, R., Salmi, A., Butler, L. D., Chiller, J. M. & Oldstone, M. B. A. J. exp. Med. 160, 521–540 (1984).
Ashton-Rickardt, P. G., Van Kaer, L., Schumacher, T. N. M., Ploegh, H. L. & Tonegawa, S. Cell 73, 1041–1049 (1993).
Hogquist, K. A., Gavin, M. A. & Bevan, M. J. J. exp. Med. 177, 1464–1473 (1993).
Taswell, C. J. Immun. 126, 1614–1619 (1981).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lau, L., Jamieson, B., Somasundaram, T. et al. Cytotoxic T-cell memory without antigen. Nature 369, 648–652 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/369648a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/369648a0
This article is cited by
-
T cell co-stimulation and co-inhibition in cardiovascular disease: a double-edged sword
Nature Reviews Cardiology (2019)
-
Mediators of the homeostasis and effector functions of memory Th2 cells as novel drug targets in intractable chronic allergic diseases
Archives of Pharmacal Research (2019)
-
Interconnected subsets of memory follicular helper T cells have different effector functions
Nature Communications (2017)
-
IL-7 plays a critical role for the homeostasis of allergen-specific memory CD4 T cells in the lung and airways
Scientific Reports (2017)
-
Origin and differentiation of human memory CD8 T cells after vaccination
Nature (2017)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.