Dissecting the Requirements for Maintenance of the CMV-Specific Memory T-Cell Pool

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection promotes a broad T-cell response, with the resulting memory cells displaying diverse phenotypes. CMV establishes lifelong persistence/latency, and it is thought that viral antigens expressed during this period may regulate the expansion and/or maintenance of "inflationary'' CD8 T-memory populations that display an effector memory phenotype. We show here that mouse CMV (MCMV)-specific inflationary memory T cells do not decrease in number after thymectomy, indicating that recent thymic emigrants are not strictly required for their maintenance. Furthermore, persistent MCMV replication in the salivary gland does not significantly impact the T-cell memory compartment, as surgical removal did not alter its composition. These results shed light upon the mechanisms required for maintenance of the large, MCMV-specific T-cell memory pool.