Anergic CD8+ T cells can persist and function in vivo.

Using a mouse model system, we demonstrate that anergic CD8+ T cells can persist and retain some functional capabilities in vivo, even after the induction of tolerance. In TCR Vbeta5 transgenic mice, mature CD8+Vbeta5+ T cells transit through a CD8lowVbeta5low deletional intermediate during tolerance induction. CD8low cells are characterized by an activated phenotype, are functionally compromised in vitro, and are slated for deletion in vivo. We now demonstrate that CD8low cells derive from a proliferative compartment, but do not divide in vivo. CD8low cells persist in vivo with a t1/2 of 3-5 days, in contrast to their in vitro t1/2 of 0.5-1 day. During this unexpectedly long in vivo life span, CD8low cells are capable of producing IFN-gamma in vivo despite their inability to proliferate or to kill target cells in vitro. CD8low cells also accumulate at sites of inflammation, where they produce IFN-gamma. Therefore, rather than withdrawing from the pool of functional CD8+ T cells, anergic CD8low cells retain a potential regulatory role despite losing their capacity to proliferate. The ability of anergic cells to persist and function in vivo adds another level of complexity to the process of tolerance induction in the lymphoid periphery.

Chronic modulation of the TCR repertoire in the lymphoid periphery.

Using TCR V beta 5 transgenic mice as a model system, we demonstrate that the induction of peripheral tolerance can mold the TCR repertoire throughout adult life. In these mice, three distinct populations of peripheral T cells are affected by chronic selective events in the lymphoid periphery. First, CD4+V beta 5+ T cells are deleted in the lymphoid periphery by superantigens encoded by mouse mammary tumor viruses-8 and -9 in an MHC class II-dependent manner. Second, mature CD8+V beta 5+ T cells transit through a CD8lowV beta 5low deletional intermediate during tolerance induction by a process that depends upon neither mouse mammary tumor virus-encoded superantigens nor MHC class II expression. Third, a population of CD4-CD8-V beta 5+ T cells arises in the lymphoid periphery in an age-dependent manner. We analyzed the TCR V alpha repertoire of each of these cellular compartments in both V beta 5 transgenic and nontransgenic C57BL/6 mice as a function of age. This analysis revealed age-related changes in the expression of V alpha families among different cellular compartments, highlighting the dynamic state of the peripheral immune repertoire. Our work indicates that the chronic processes maintaining peripheral T cell tolerance can dramatically shape the available TCR repertoire.