D. Kagi et al., CD8(-CELL-MEDIATED PROTECTION AGAINST AN INTRACELLULAR BACTERIUM BY PERFORIN-DEPENDENT CYTOTOXICITY() T), European Journal of Immunology, 24(12), 1994, pp. 3068-3072
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes is mainly controlled by macrophages,
which are activated by specific T cells. A potential role of CD8(+) T
cells by direct lysis of infected cells was investigated in perforin-d
eficient mice generated by homologous recombination. The absence of pe
rforin-mediated cytotoxicity resulted in delayed clearance of Listeria
from the spleen but not the liver after primary infection, overall su
sceptibility to Listeria however was not increased. Protection against
a secondary infection was drastically impaired in perforin-deficient
mice. Adoptive transfer of immune spleen cells to recipients revealed
that anti-listeria protection by CD8(+) T cells from perforin-deficien
t versus normal mice was about 10-fold reduced in livers and about 100
-fold reduced in the spleen of recipients. CD4(+) T cells from immune
control and perforin-deficient mice conferred comparable protection. T
hese results indicate that the protective effect of CD8(+) T cells aga
inst an intracellular bacterium mainly evident in secondary infection
is mediated by a perforin-dependent pathway, presumably cytotoxicity,
and less by other direct or indirect effector mechanisms.