Clonal expansions of CD8+ T cells with IL-10 secreting capacity occur during chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58612. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058612. Epub 2013 Mar 5.

Abstract

The exact role of CD8(+) T cells during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection has been heavily debated, yet it is generally accepted that CD8(+) T cells contribute to protection against Mtb. In this study, however, we show that the Mtb-susceptible CBA/J mouse strain accumulates large numbers of CD8(+) T cells in the lung as infection progresses, and that these cells display a dysfunctional and immunosuppressive phenotype (PD-1(+), Tim-3(+), CD122(+)). CD8(+) T cell expansions from the lungs of Mtb-infected CBA/J mice were also capable of secreting the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), although in vivo CD8(+) T cell depletion did not significantly alter Mtb burden. Further analysis revealed that pulmonary CD8(+) T cells from Mtb-infected CBA/J mice were clonally expanded, preferentially expressing T cell receptor (TcR) Vβ chain 8 (8.2, 8.3) or Vβ 14. Although Vβ8(+) CD8(+) T cells were responsible for the majority of IL-10 production, in vivo depletion of Vβ8(+) did not significantly change the outcome of Mtb infection, which we hypothesize was a consequence of their dual IL-10/IFN-γ secreting profiles. Our data demonstrate that IL-10-secreting CD8(+) T cells can arise during chronic Mtb infection, although the significance of this T cell population in tuberculosis pathogenesis remains unclear.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Immune Tolerance
  • Interleukin-10 / metabolism*
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred CBA
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Phenotype
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
  • Tuberculosis / immunology*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology*

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
  • Interleukin-10