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Dynamics of influenza-induced lung-resident memory T cells underlie waning heterosubtypic immunity
Journal article

Dynamics of influenza-induced lung-resident memory T cells underlie waning heterosubtypic immunity

Bram Slütter, Natalija Van Braeckel-Budimir, Georges Abboud, Steven M Varga, Shahram Salek-Ardakani and John T Harty
Science immunology, Vol.2(7), p.eaag2031
01/06/2017
DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aag2031
PMCID: PMC5590757
PMID: 28783666

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Abstract

Lung-resident memory CD8 T cells (T ) induced by influenza A virus (IAV) that are pivotal for providing subtype-transcending protection against IAV infection (heterosubtypic immunity) are not maintained long term, causing gradual loss of protection. The short-lived nature of lung T contrasts sharply with long-term maintenance of T induced by localized infections in the skin and in other tissues. We show that the decline in lung T is determined by an imbalance between apoptosis and lung recruitment and conversion to T of circulating memory cells. We show that circulating effector memory cells (T ) rather than central memory cells (T ) are the precursors for conversion to lung T Time-dependent changes in expression of genes critical for lymphocyte trafficking and T differentiation, in concert with enrichment of T , diminish the capacity of circulating memory CD8 T cells to form T with time, explaining why IAV-induced T are not stably maintained. Systemic booster immunization, through increasing the number of circulating T , increases lung T , providing a potential new avenue to enhance IAV vaccines.

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