NFAT signaling regulates effector CD8⁺ T cell differentiation during chronic infection.

Abstract

Mixed BMC animals were infected with 106 PFU of MCMV and analyzed at 90 dpi. (A) Representative flow-cytometric plots showing KLRG1+CD27- and KLRG1-CD27+populations from BMC mice with WT and NFATc1c2 DKO BM. The plots are pre-gated on primed (CD44+CD11a+) CD45.2+ CD8+ T cells (live CD3+CD8+). (B) Pairwise comparison of KLRG1+CD27- and KLRG1-CD27+CD8+ T cell frequencies in blood, spleen and lungs of individual mice during chronic MCMV infection. Lines connect data from individual animals (C) Flow-cytometric plots showing representative central memory (CM) populations among primed blood CD8+ T cells of chronically infected mice (left). Kinetics of these CM populations in blood are shown on the right Lines connect group means at indicated time points, error bars are SEM. (D) Percentage of CM CD8+ T cells in spleen and lungs at 90 dpi. Bar plots represent the group average, error bars are SEM and each dot represents mouse. (E) Percentage of CM cells among M45 and M38 tetramer specific CD8+ T cells from spleen at 90 dpi. Bar plots represent mean ± SEM and each dot is a mouse. (F) Representative flow-cytometric plots of blood CD8+ T cells showing CXCR3+ population among primed (CD44+CD11a+) cells (left). Mean CXCR3+ CD8+ T cells population from blood, spleen and mesenteric LN at 90 dpi are shown as mean ± SEM, each dot is a mouse. (G) Representative flow-cytometric plots of blood CD8+ T cells showing CX3CR1+ population among primed (CD44+CD11a+) cells (left). Mean CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells population from blood, spleen and lungs at 90 dpi are shown as mean ± SEM, each dot is a mouse. Data are pooled from two experiments and each dot represents one mouse, n≥7. Statistically significant differences are highlighted; *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; (Mann-Whitney U Test); mean ± SEM values are plotted.</p