Generation of Antiviral CD11a^high T Cells in CD4⁺ T Cell-Depleted Mice and Adult Thymectomized Mice after Mouse Hepatitis Virus Infection

Abstract

The mechanism of CD11a^highCD8⁺ T cell induction after mouse hepatitis virus infection, which has been suggested to play a key role in the elimination of infectious virus from the spleen in C57BL/6 mice, was studied. In CD4⁺ T cell-depleted mice, CD11a^highCD8⁺ T cells were induced in the spleen and spleen cells showed virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity after mouse hepatitis virus Infection. The same results were obtained in adult thymectomized mice. These results indicate that CD11a^highCD8⁺ T cells can be generated after mouse hepatitis virus infection in the absence of either CD4⁺ T cells or the thymus.