Peripheral “CD8 Tuning” Dynamically Modulates the Size and Responsiveness of an Antigen-Specific T Cell Pool In Vivo

Abstract

In this study, we suggest that CD8 levels on T cells are not static, but can change and, as a result, modulate CD8+ T cell responses. We describe three models of CD8 modulation using novel weak-agonist (K1A) and super-agonist (C2A) altered peptide ligands of the HY smcy peptide. First, we used peripheral nonresponsive CD8low T cells produced after peripheral HY-Db MHC class I tetramer stimulation of female HY TCR transgenic and wild-type mice. Second, we used genetically lowered CD8int T cells from heterozygote CD8+/0 mice. Finally, we used pre-existing nonresponsive CD8low T cells from male HY TCR transgenic mice. In CD8low and CD8high mice, presence of a lower level of CD8 greatly decreased the avidity of the peptide-MHC for HY TCR as reflected by avidity (KD) and dissociation constant (T1/2) measurements. All three models demonstrated that lowering CD8 levels resulted in the requirement for a higher avidity peptide-MHC interaction with the TCR to respond equivalently to unmanipulated CD8high T cells of the same specificity. Additionally, direct injections of wild-type HY-Db and C2A-Db tetramers into female HY TCR or female B6 mice induced a high frequency of peripheral nonresponsive CD8low T cells, yet C2A-Db was superior in inducing a primed CD8+CD44+ memory population. The ability to dynamically modulate the size and responsiveness of an Ag-specific T cell pool by “CD8 tuning” of the T cell during the early phases of an immune response has important implications for the balance of responsiveness, memory, and tolerance.