Parenchymal cells critically curtail cytotoxic T-cell responses by inducing Bim-mediated apoptosis

To develop cytolytic effector functions, CD8(+) T lymphocytes need to recognize specific Ag/MHC class I complexes in the context of costimuli on Ag-presenting DC. Thereafter they differentiate into effector and memory CTL able to confer protection against pathogen infection. Using transgenic mice with DC-selective MHC class I expression and DC-specific versus ubiquitous vaccination regimen, we found that DC are sufficient to prime CTL responses. However, Ag recognition on parenchymal non-professional APC negatively affected CD8(+) T-cell responses in mice by inducing expression of the pro-apoptotic bcl2-family member bim in CTL. This unexpected induction of apoptosis in the early phase of effector CTL accumulation lead to suboptimal clonal burst size and diminished long-term memory. Thus, our data demonstrate that effector CTL differentiation and apoptosis are regulated independently. Moreover, Ag distribution on cells other than DC critically reduces CTL responses.