A multifunctional mouse model to study the role of Samd3

Abstract

The capacity to develop immunological memory is a hallmark of the adaptive immune system. To investigate the role of Samd3 for cellular immune responses and memory development, we generated a conditional knock-out mouse including a fluorescent reporter and a huDTR cassette for conditional depletion of Samd3-expressing cells. Samd3 expression was observed in NK cells and CD8 T cells, which are known for their specific function against intracellular pathogens like viruses. After acute viral infections, Samd3 expression was enriched within memory precursor cells and the frequency of Samd3-expressing cells increased during the progression into the memory phase. Similarly, during chronic viral infections, Samd3 expression was predominantly detected within precursors of exhausted CD8 T cells that are critical for viral control. At the functional level however, Samd3-deficient CD8 T cells were not compromised in the context of acute infection with Vaccinia virus or chronic infection with Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Taken together, we describe a novel multifunctional mouse model to study the role of Samd3 and Samd3-expressing cells. We found that Samd3 is specifically expressed in NK cells, memory CD8 T cells, and precursor exhausted T cells during viral infections, while the molecular function of this enigmatic gene remains further unresolved.