Abstract
Bcl-2 plays a critical role in regulating cell survival and apoptosis. We examined Bcl-2 expression in virus-specific CD8 T cells during the expansion, death, and memory phases of the T cell response following infection of mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Naive CD8 T cells expressed a basal level of Bcl-2 that was down-regulated in effector CD8 T cells just before the death phase. Bcl-2 levels remained low during the death phase but surviving memory CD8 T cells expressed higher levels of Bcl-2 than naive cells. These changes were shown to occur in LCMV TCR transgenic cells as well as virus-specific CD8 T cells in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice identified by MHC class I tetramers. In all instances, memory CD8 T cells expressed higher levels of Bcl-2, suggesting that increased Bcl-2 expression plays a role in the long-term maintenance of memory CD8 T cells in vivo.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
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CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
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Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology*
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Female
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Flow Cytometry
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Hyaluronan Receptors / biosynthesis
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Immunodominant Epitopes / immunology
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Immunologic Memory*
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Immunophenotyping
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Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / immunology
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred BALB C
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Mice, Transgenic
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Nucleoproteins / immunology
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Peptide Fragments / immunology
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / biosynthesis*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
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T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
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T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism*
Substances
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Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
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Hyaluronan Receptors
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Immunodominant Epitopes
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Nucleoproteins
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Peptide Fragments
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
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nucleoprotein peptide 118-126, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus