In situ imaging reveals different responses by naïve and memory CD8 T cells to late antigen presentation by lymph node DC after influenza virus infection

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Abstract
Pulmonary influenza infection causes prolonged lymph node hypertrophy while processed viral antigens continue to be presented to virus‐specific CD8 T cells. We show that naïve, but not central/memory, nucleoprotein (NP)‐specific CD8 T cells recognized antigen‐bearing CD11b+ DC in the draining lymph nodes more than 30 days after infection. After these late transfers, the naïve CD8 T cells underwent an abortive proliferative response in the mediastinal lymph node (MLN), where large clusters of partially activated cells remained in the paracortex until at least a week after transfer. A majority of the endogenous NP‐specific CD8 T cells that were in the MLN between 30 and 50 days after infection also showed signs of a continuing response to antigen stimulation. A high frequency of endogenous NP‐specific CD8 T cells in the MLN indicates that late antigen presentation may help shape the epitope dominance hierarchy during reinfection.