Effector and Memory CD8+ T Cells Can Be Generated in Response to Alloantigen Independently of CD4+ T Cell Help

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Abstract
There is now considerable evidence suggesting that CD8+ T cells are able to generate effector but not functional memory T cells following pathogenic infections in the absence of CD4+ T cells. We show that following transplantation of allogeneic skin, in the absence of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells become activated, proliferate, and expand exclusively in the draining lymph nodes and are able to infiltrate and reject skin allografts. CD44+CD8+ T cells isolated 100 days after transplantation rapidly produce IFN-γ following restimulation with alloantigen in vitro. In vivo CD44+CD8+ T cells rejected donor-type skin allografts more rapidly than naive CD8+ T cells demonstrating the ability of these putative memory T cells to mount an effective recall response in vivo. These data form the first direct demonstration that CD8+ T cells are able to generate memory as well as effector cells in response to alloantigen during rejection in the complete absence of CD4+ T cells. These data have important implications for the design of therapies to combat rejection and serve to reinforce the view that CD8+ T cell responses to allografts require manipulation in addition to CD4+ T cell responses to completely prevent the rejection of foreign organ transplants.