A Class II-Restricted CD8γ13 T-Cell Clone Protects During Chlamydia muridarum Genital Tract Infection

The T-cell response to chlamydia genital tract infections in humans and mice is unusual because the majority of antigen-specific CD8 T cells are not class I restricted (referred to here as "unrestricted" or "atypical"). We previously reported that a subset of unrestricted murine chlamydia-specific CD8 T cells had a cytokine polarization pattern that included interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-13.

In this study, we investigated the transcriptome of CD8γ13 T cells, comparing them to Tc1 clones using microarray analysis. That study revealed that CD8γ13 polarization included IL-5 in addition to IFN-γ and IL-13. Adoptive transfer studies were performed with Tc1 clones and a CD8γ13 T-cell clone to determine whether either influenced bacterial clearance or immunopathology during Chlamydia muridarum genital tract infections.

To our surprise, an adoptively transferred CD8γ13 T-cell clone was remarkably proficient at preventing chlamydia immunopathology, whereas the multifunctional Tc1 clone did not enhance clearance or significantly alter immunopathology. Mapping studies with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I- and class II-deficient splenocytes showed our previously published chlamydia-specific CD8 T-cell clones are MHC class II restricted.

The MHC class II-restricted CD8 T cells may play an important role in protection from intracellular pathogens that limit class I antigen presentation or diminish CD4 T-cell numbers or impair their function.