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Phenotypic and Functional Analysis of Activated Regulatory T Cells Isolated from Chronic Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus-infected Mice
Published on: June 22, 2016
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Impaired Subset Progression and Polyfunctionality of T Cells in Mice Exposed to Methamphetamine during Chronic LCMV
Uma Sriram1, Beth L Hill2, Jonathan M Cenna1
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States of America.
Plos One
|October 21, 2016
Summary
Methamphetamine (METH) impairs T cell immune responses during viral infections by altering cytokine production and PD-1 expression. Understanding T cell polyfunctionality reveals critical changes in effector functions and memory evolution.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychostimulant with significant impacts on the immune system.
- T cells are crucial for orchestrating immune responses, particularly during viral infections.
- Chronic METH exposure can alter T cell activation and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of chronic METH exposure on T cell polyfunctionality during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection.
- To analyze how METH influences T cell cytokine production, degranulation, and differentiation into effector/memory subsets.
- To examine the impact of METH-induced PD-1 expression on T cell functional markers and subsets.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a murine model of LCMV infection.
- Employed GemStone™ TriCOM to assess T cell polyfunctionality and cytokine production patterns.
- Applied Probability State Modeling (PSM) to visualize T cell subset differentiation.
- Quantified PD-1 expression on T cells and analyzed its correlation with functional markers.
Main Results:
- METH significantly altered T cell cytokine production patterns during chronic LCMV infection.
- METH affected splenic T cell functions, including cytokine production and degranulation.
- METH exposure led to increased PD-1 expression on T cells, impacting their functional markers and effector/memory subsets.
Conclusions:
- Analyzing T cell polyfunctionality provides deeper insights into effector functions during viral infections.
- T cell heterogeneity analysis is vital for understanding memory/effector function evolution in chronic viral infections.
- METH significantly impacts T cell responses, particularly through modulation of PD-1 expression.
