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The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 162: 5449-5454.
Copyright © 1999 by The American Association of Immunologists

Augmentation of the CD8+ T Cell Response by IFN-{gamma} in IL-12-Deficient Mice During Toxoplasma gondii Infection1

Kenneth H. Ely*, Lloyd H. Kasper{dagger} and Imtiaz A. Khan2,{ddagger}

Departments of * Physiology, {dagger} Microbiology, and {ddagger} Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The importance of IFN-{gamma} in regulating the host CD8+ T cell response during microbial infection has not been delineated. Mice deficient for the p40 chain of the IL-12 heterodimer have impaired IFN-{gamma} production and are susceptible to infection with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The administration of exogenous IFN-{gamma} to parasite-infected p40-/- mice increases survival and up-regulates the depressed CD8+ T cell response following infection. CD8+ T cells isolated from cytokine-treated p40-/- mice exhibit an increase in both precursor CTL frequency and IFN-{gamma} production compared with untreated controls. The enhancement of the CD8+ T cell response is independent of CD4+ T cell help. These CD8+ T cells induce protective immunity against a lethal challenge when adoptively transferred into naive p40-/- and IFN-{gamma}-/- mice. These observations indicate that IFN-{gamma} can regulate the CD8+ T cell response during T. gondii infection.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Interferon-{gamma} has been shown to provide a wide range of critical regulatory functions in the immune response. The primary mechanism by which IFN-{gamma} protects against microbial infection is believed to be via macrophage activation (1). Synergism of IFN-{gamma} with a second effector molecule, such as TNF-{alpha}, stimulates the production of nitric oxide (NO)3 (2). The inhibitory effect of NO against both tumor cells and microbial pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii, is well documented (3, 4, 5). However, recent studies indicate that IFN-{gamma} can induce protection in the infected host by an NO-independent mechanism (6). An alternative mechanism would be the induction of Ag-specific CD8+ CTLs.

A potential role for IFN-{gamma} in the induction of CD8+ T cells has been suggested (7). CD8+ T cells are known to have important effector functions in host immunity against intracellular pathogens (8, 9). The stimulation of CD8+ T cells is regulated via MHC class I expression on APCs that can be up-regulated by IFN-{gamma} (10). Previous studies (11, 12) have demonstrated that IFN-{gamma} and CD8+ T cells are essential for the induction of protective immunity with the temperature-sensitive mutant (ts-4) of T. gondii, first isolated by Waldeland et al. (13). In other microbial infections, it has been demonstrated that treating lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-infected mice with anti-IFN-{gamma} Ab can down-regulate the CD8+ T cell response against the virus (14). However, a direct association between the expression of IFN-{gamma} and the induction of CD8+ T cell immunity in response to a microbial infection has not been reported.

IFN-{gamma} is crucial for resistance during both acute and chronic infection with T. gondii (15, 16). Deletion of the p40 chain of IL-12 heterodimer in mice results in diminished IFN-{gamma} production (17). In this study, we used p40-/- mice to evaluate the role of IFN-{gamma} in the induction and maintenance of CD8+ T cells in response to infection with T. gondii.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Parasites and infection

The temperature-sensitive mutant strain of T. gondii, ts-4 (kindly provided by Dr. Elmer Pfefferkorn, Dartmouth Medical School), was used for vaccination of animals. The strain is maintained by continuous passage in human fibroblasts. Mice were challenged with the 76K strain of T. gondii, which was provided by Dr. Daniel Bout (University of Tours, Tours, France). This strain is maintained by the continuous oral passage of cysts as described previously (18). Cysts were isolated from infected tissue, enumerated, and used to orally infect the animals. A challenge dose of 20 cysts was used unless otherwise noted.

Mice

A breeding pair of p40-/- mice on a C57BL/6 background, were kindly provided by Dr. Maurice Gately (Hoffman-La Roche, Nutley, NJ). As reported previously, these mice are unable to produce IL-12 (17). IFN-{gamma}-/- mice on a similar genetic background were obtained from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME). Age and sex matched parental C57BL/6 mice were used for wild-type (wt) controls. All of the mice used were female and were 6–8 wk of age.

Vaccination and challenge

Vaccinations of p40-/- and wt C57BL/6 mice were conducted by injecting the animals i.p. with 1 x 103 ts-4 parasites. After 3 wk, the mice were boosted a second time with 5 x 104 parasites of the same strain. Vaccinated animals were challenged later with 20 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii via oral route.

In vivo cytokine and T cell depletion

For IFN-{gamma} depletion, mice were treated with 3 mg of rat anti-mouse IFN-{gamma} (XMG6; American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, Va) weekly. Control mice received equal quantities of rat IgG (Sigma). Ab depletion of the vaccinated mice began 3 days before challenge and continued weekly thereafter. To deplete CD8+ T cells, mice received 1 mg of anti-CD8 (clone 2.43; ATCC) for 3 days at the beginning and on every third day thereafter. CD4+ depletion of mice was performed by the administration of rat anti-mouse GK1.5 (ATCC) at a dose of 0.5 mg/day for 3 consecutive days, continuing every third day thereafter. The Ab treatment resulted in >95% depletion of the phenotype as determined by FACS analysis.

In vivo cytokine administration

Mice were treated with 2500 U of murine IFN-{gamma} (Genzyme, Cambridge, MA) on alternate days beginning 2 wk after the second immunizing dose and continuing for <=10 days. This dose of IFN-{gamma} has been shown previously to significantly enhance protection against acute T. gondii infection (19).

IFN-{gamma} assay

IFN-{gamma} assays of T cell subtypes from the immunized animals were performed. At 1 mo after the last vaccinating dose, the CD4 and CD8+ T cells from the splenocytes were isolated by magnetic separation as described previously (20), with a resulting purity of >95% as determined by FACS analysis. Purified cells were extensively washed with medium and stimulated in vitro with Toxoplasma lysate Ag (TLA) and irradiated feeder cells. Cells were harvested after incubation for 72 h, and supernatants were collected and assayed for IFN-{gamma} production by cytokine ELISA (Genzyme).

Cytotoxicity assays

Cell-mediated cytotoxicity was determined using a standard microcytotoxicity assay (21). The cytolytic activity of the T cells was quantitated by determining the precursor CTL (pCTL) frequency of the immunized mice using limiting dilution assays (LDAs). CD8+ T cells from the vaccinated splenocytes were isolated by magnetic separation as described above. Purified cells were cultured by limiting dilution in 96-well, round-bottom plates. Cells were grown in RPMI 1640 medium containing appropriate growth factors including IL-2, irradiated parasites, and feeder cells. Dilution of cells ranged between 100 and 25,000 cells/well. Wells containing only irradiated parasites and feeder cells, without effector cells, served as controls. After 1 wk, the cells were harvested and incubated with 51Cr-labeled parasite-infected and uninfected macrophages. Macrophages were collected and labeled as described elsewhere (20). pCTL frequency was calculated according to a standard formula (22).

Adoptive transfer of CD8+ T cells

p40-/- mice were vaccinated with ts-4 parasites as mentioned and subsequently administered IFN-{gamma} as described previously. Mice were splenectomized at 5 days after the completion of cytokine administration, and spleen cells from immunized and nonimmune controls were isolated and collected. CD8+ T cells were separated and purified. A total of 1 x 107 CD8+ T cells were adoptively transferred to naive p40 and IFN-{gamma} knockout (KO) mice via i.v. tail vein inoculation. At 24 h after the adoptive transfer of immune cells, mice were challenged with 20 cysts of the 76K strain.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis of the data was performed using two sampled Student’s t tests (23).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
p40-/- mice are susceptible to ts-4 infection

IFN-{gamma}-/- mice, p40-/- mice, and parental C57BL/6 mice were infected with varying numbers (250–1 x 106) of ts-4 strain tachyzoites. IFN-{gamma}-/- mice were highly susceptible, with all mice dying with an infective dose of 250 tachyzoites (data not shown). The wt mice could tolerate the highest parasite challenge without evidence of morbidity (as determined by body weight change and ruffled fur) or mortality (data not shown). In comparison with wt animals, p40-/- mice were more susceptible to a significantly lower dose of parasites (Fig. 1Go). At doses of >1 x 103 tachyzoites, all p40-/- mice succumbed to infection. Vaccination with 1 x 103 ts-4 tachyzoites resulted in 70% of the p40-/- mice being able to survive challenge. At 3 wk postinfection, the serum anti-Toxoplasma IgG titer was >1200 in both p40-/- survivors and parental control mice (data not shown).



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FIGURE 1. Survival of gene KO mice from i.p. challenge of tachyzoites of T.gondii. p40-/- mice (n = 10/group) were infected with 1 x 104, 5 x 103, and 1 x 103 tachyzoites of the ts-4 strain of T. gondii. The survival of animals was monitored on a daily basis. The study was performed three times with similar results.

 
Vaccination with ts-4 mutant prolongs time to death in p40-/- mice

Vaccination of p40-/- mice increased resistance to subsequent challenge with ts-4 tachyzoites (Fig. 2Go). Mice vaccinated with 1 x 103 parasites could tolerate a challenge dose of 5 x 104 tachyzoites. Below a vaccination dose of 1 x 103, the mice were not protected when challenged with 5 x 104 tachyzoites (data not shown). Unvaccinated controls died by day 14 postchallenge. Protection in the vaccinated mice was dependent upon IFN-{gamma}, as treatment with neutralizing Ab increased susceptibility (Fig. 2Go).



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FIGURE 2. Survival of immunized p40-/- mice against a challenge with a higher dose of the ts-4 strain of T. gondii. p40-/- mice (n = 10/group) that survived a lower dose of ts-4 infection were challenged i.p. with 5 x 104 parasites of the same strain at 3 wk after the first challenge. Immune mice were treated with rat anti-mouse IFN-{gamma} or rat IgG starting 2 days before challenge. Nonimmune mice were treated with an equal volume of saline. The experiment was performed three times with similar results.

 
To determine whether resistance was either parasite strain- or route of challenge-dependent, p40-/- mice were vaccinated with ts-4 tachyzoites and challenged perorally with cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii. Vaccinated mice survived significantly longer than nonvaccinated controls (Fig. 3GoA), although the vaccinated and orally challenged mice began to die by day 26. The increased survival time of p40-/- vaccinated mice could be reduced by the deletion of either IFN-{gamma} or CD8+ T cells. In comparison, all of the vaccinated parental strain mice survived the lethal challenge with the 76K strain parasites, whereas 50% of the nonvaccinated parental mice succumbed to infection (Fig. 3GoB).



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FIGURE 3. A and B, Survival of vaccinated p40-/- mice against a sublethal challenge of T. gondii infection. p40-/- (A) and wt C57BL/6 (B) animals were immunized with the ts-4 strain of T. gondii as described in Materials and Methods. At 1 mo after the second immunizing dose, mice were challenged orally with 20 cysts of the 76K strain. Immune animals were treated with mAbs directed against either IFN-{gamma} or CD8. Ab treatment was started 2 days before the challenge with the 76K strain and continued throughout the course of the experiment. Control animals received an equal amount of rat IgG. Nonimmune controls were treated with the same volume of saline. There were six animals in each group, and the study was conducted twice. Data are representative of one experiment.

 
Exogenous IFN-{gamma} was administered to p40-/- mice to determine its effect on mortality. Mice were immunized with the ts-4 strain and subsequently challenged with the 76K strain of T. gondii, as mentioned above. A group of vaccinated animals was treated exogenously with IFN-{gamma} starting 2 wk after the second immunization. IFN-{gamma} treatment reversed the death of the p40-/- animals, and these animals continued to survive until termination of the experiment, unlike the saline-treated animals, which succumbed to infection as observed earlier (Fig. 4Go).



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FIGURE 4. Exogenous IFN-{gamma} treatment prolongs the survival of immune p40-/- mice. p40-/- mice were immunized with the ts-4 strain of T. gondii as described in Materials and Methods. At 1 mo after the second immunizing dose, mice were challenged orally with the 76K strain of T. gondii. IFN-{gamma} or saline treatment of the mice was started 2 wk after the second immunization. Each animal was injected with saline or 2500 U of the cytokine on alternate days for <=10 days postimmunization. There were six animals per group. The experiment was performed twice with similar results.

 
CD8+ T cells from vaccinated p40-/- mice produce decreased levels of IFN-{gamma}

The production of IFN-{gamma} by the CD8+ T cells from ts-4-vaccinated p40-/- mice in response to antigenic restimulation was evaluated. Supernatants obtained from CD8+ T cell cultures following Ag exposure were analyzed for IFN-{gamma} production. As shown Table IGo, CD8+ T cells from ts-4-vaccinated p40-/- mice produced significantly less IFN-{gamma} than CD8+ T cells from parental mice (p = 0.003). Treating p40-/- mice with exogenous IFN-{gamma} resulted in a significant increase in the production of IFN-{gamma} by the CD8+ T cells (p < 0.0001). Similar data were obtained upon repeated experiments. Exogenous IFN-{gamma} treatment of parental wt mice did not cause any significant changes in the IFN-{gamma} profile of the CD8+ T cells of these mice. Purified CD8+ T cells from uninfected control mice treated with exogenous cytokine secreted very little IFN-{gamma} in response to antigenic stimulation (data not shown).


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Table I. IFN-{gamma} production (pg/ml) by CD8+ T cells from T. gondii-infected animals1

 
We subsequently determined the effect of exogenous IFN-{gamma} treatment on the cytokine production by CD4+ T cells from infected p40-/- mice. As shown in Table IIGo, similar to CD8+ T cells, cytokine treatment results in a significant increase in IFN-{gamma} production by the CD4+ T cells from p40-/- animals (p < 0.001) However, an in vivo depletion of CD4+ T cells had no effect on the levels of IFN-{gamma} released by CD8+ T cells.


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Table II. IFN-{gamma} production (pg/ml) by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from T. gondii-infected p40-/- mice1

 
pCTL frequency in vaccinated p40-/- mice is down-regulated

The Ag-specific CD8+ T cells elicited in response to ts-4 vaccination are cytotoxic against Toxoplasma-infected targets. To estimate the frequency of Ag-specific CD8+ T cells, a pCTL assay was performed. At 1 mo following ts-4 vaccination, the pCTL frequency of p40-/- mice was 1/126,000 cells, compared with 1/4,100 in the parental control group (Fig. 5GoA). Administration of exogenous IFN-{gamma} to the ts-4-vaccinated p40-/- mice increased the pCTL frequency to 1/9,800, which is within the range of variability of the immune CD8+ T cell population of parental wt mice (24). The treatment of vaccinated wt C57BL/6 mice with IFN-{gamma} had no significant effect on the pCTL frequency of the CD8+ T cell population of these mice (data not shown). The increased pCTL frequency in the IFN-{gamma} treated p40-/- mice was independent of CD4+ T cell population. In vivo depletion of this T cell subtype did not alter the frequency of IFN-{gamma}-treated p40-/- animals (Fig. 5GoB). LDA showed no killing of control uninfected targets.



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FIGURE 5. A, In an LDA, immune mice generate pCTLs when stimulated in vitro with irradiated parasites. p40-/- and parental C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated with ts-4 parasites as described in Materials and Methods. A group of immune p40-/- mice were treated with IFN-{gamma} starting 2 wk after the second immunizing dose as described above. At 4 wk after the second vaccination, CD8+ T cells from pooled splenocytes (n = 3/group) were separated and cultured by LDA in the presence of irradiated parasites and feeder cells. After 1 wk in culture, the pCTL frequency of CD8+ T cells was determined. Data are representative of one of two separate experiments. B, In vivo CD4+ T cell depletion does not effect the pCTL frequency of immune mice. p40-/- mice were vaccinated with ts-4 and treated with IFN-{gamma} as described in Materials and Methods. At 2 days before the start of IFN-{gamma} treatment, the animals were administered 0.5 mg of anti-CD4 Ab for 3 consecutive days, continuing every third day thereafter. Control animals were injected with an equal amount of isotype control. The CD8+ T cells from the pooled animals (n = 3/group) were separated, and pCTL frequency determined as described previously.

 
Adoptive transfer of protection by CD8+ T cells from p40-/- mice

CD8+ T cells from the ts-4-vaccinated p40-/- mice were assayed for their ability to protect naive p40-/- mice against a parasite challenge. Equal numbers of CD8+ T cells isolated from both ts-4 vaccinated and control mice were adoptively transferred into naive recipient p40-/- mice and were challenged perorally after 24 h with 20 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii. All recipient mice immunized with CD8+ T cells from either the ts-4 vaccinated or control mice died postchallenge, although the mice receiving the Ag-primed cells did survive several days longer (Fig. 6GoA). In comparison, all mice receiving CD8+ T cells from IFN-{gamma}-treated, ts-4-vaccinated mice survived the infection. These mice had no clinical evidence of illness, including ruffled fur, weight loss, or huddling.



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FIGURE 6. A, Adoptive transfer of immune CD8+ T cells from p40-/- mice treated with IFN-{gamma} protects the naive host against lethal T. gondii challenge. CD8+ T cells from pooled splenocytes (three per group) from nonvaccinated p40-/- mice, vaccinated p40-/- mice, and vaccinated p40-/- mice treated with IFN-{gamma} were purified by magnetic separation and washed three to four times with medium. A total of 1 x 107 purified CD8+ T cells were injected i.v. into naive p40-/- animals (n = 6/group). After 24 h, mice were orally challenged with 20 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii. Survival was monitored until 60 days postchallenge, when the experiment was terminated. The experiment was performed twice with similar results. B, Adoptive transfer of immune CD8+ T cells from p40-/- mice protects naive IFN-{gamma} KO animals against lethal Toxoplasma infection. CD8+ T cells from pooled splenocytes (n = 3/group) from vaccinated p40-/- mice treated with either IFN-{gamma} or saline were separated as described above. A group of vaccinated mice injected with IFN-{gamma} were depleted of CD4+ T cells by administering mAb against the phenotype. Control animals were treated with isotype control. A total of 1 x 107 purified CD8+ T cells were injected i.v. into naive IFN-{gamma}-/- animals (n = 6/group). After 24 h, the mice were orally challenged with 20 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii. The percentage of survival was determined until day 25, when the experiment was terminated. The experiment was performed twice with similar results.

 
Next, we evaluated the ability of immune CD8+ T cells from p40-/- mice to protect a naive host lacking the IFN-{gamma} gene. Purified CD8+ T cells were adoptively transferred to naive IFN-{gamma}-/- mice and challenged the following day as described above. IFN-{gamma} KO mice immunized with CD8+ T cells from vaccinated and IFN-{gamma}-treated animals survived the infection, similar to p40-/- mice (Fig. 6GoB). An in vivo depletion CD4+ T cells from donor mice before IFN-{gamma} treatment had no effect on the ability of CD8+ cells to protect the recipient mice. On the contrary, CD8+ T cells from mice vaccinated with ts-4 alone were unable to protect IFN-{gamma}-/- mice against a Toxoplasma infection. All animals succumbed to challenge by day 8 postchallenge (Fig. 6GoB), unlike p40-/- recipients, which were able to survive the infection for <=21 days (Fig. 6GoA).


    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Our studies show that protective immunity against the vaccine strain ts-4 of T. gondii, similar to the cyst forming strains (25, 26), is strongly dependent upon IL-12. These observations are somewhat different from those made earlier by Scharton-Kersten et al. (27), who demonstrated that Ab neutralization of IL-12 in wt animals results in minimal mortality when challenged with 2 x 104 parasites of the ts-4 strain. However, in the present studies, 100% mortality was observed when p40-/- animals were challenged with 5 x 103 ts-4 parasites. Differences in these findings can be attributed to the fact that Scharton-Kersten et al. used neutralizing Ab for IL-12 depletion, whereas our studies were conducted with gene KO animals, which are completely devoid of any IL-12 production (17). Our findings are in agreement with those of Scharton-Kersten et al. with regard to the suggestion that IFN-{gamma} following ts-4 infection is produced in both an IL-12-dependent and -independent fashion. However, based upon our observations, an IL-12-dependent pathway predominates as the source of IFN-{gamma} production in ts-4-infected animals during acute infection. p40-/- animals survive only low-dose initial challenge, and IFN-{gamma} production in these mutant mice in response to infection is severely impaired.

One of the major consequences of lowered IFN-{gamma} levels in p40-/- mice was the down-regulated CD8+ T cell response against the parasite. The observations presented here demonstrate an important and perhaps essential role for IFN-{gamma} in the regulation of CD8+ T cell immunity in response to microbial infection. The interaction between CD8+ T cells and IFN-{gamma} during intracellular infections is not well understood. Earlier reports with viral systems have suggested a role for IFN-{gamma} in the induction of CD8+ T cell immunity (7, 14), because a neutralization of endogenous IFN-{gamma} results in the reduction of CD8+ T cell numbers and CTL activity. However, other studies have shown the development of a normal CTL response in IFN-{gamma}-/- mice (28, 29). A possible explanation for these differences could be the redundancy in KO mice that has been described previously in other systems (30, 31). Alternatively, CTL induction in the host may be dependent upon the pathogen involved. This possibility is supported by the observation of Leist et al. (32), demonstrating that animals treated with anti-IFN-{gamma} Ab develop a normal CTL response against vaccinia virus and vesicular stomatitis virus but have a reduced CTL response against LCMV infection.

The present study provides an in-depth analysis of the role of IFN-{gamma} in the regulation of CD8+ T cell immunity during Toxoplasma infection. We have demonstrated the importance of IFN-{gamma} in the generation of a robust memory CD8+ T cell response. In the absence of optimal IFN-{gamma} levels, the frequency of Ag-specific memory CD8+ T cells, as a result of vaccination with T. gondii, is severely reduced. This reduction in Ag-specific memory CD8+ T cells results in the increased susceptibility of the vaccinated host against a challenge infection. Treatment with exogenous IFN-{gamma} restores the impaired CD8+ T cell immunity, as measured by increased IFN-{gamma} production and pCTL frequency. The CD8+ T cells from the IFN-{gamma}-treated mice, unlike those from untreated animals, protect the naive animals against lethal infection. These observations are similar to the studies with LCMV, for which the immune cells from IFN-{gamma}-/- mice were unable to clear the persistent infection in a naive host (29). Based upon earlier observations with T. gondii (12), we could postulate that the IFN-{gamma}-mediated augmentation of the CD8+ T cell response is due to increased CD4+ T cell helper activity. However, this explanation can be discounted, as the depletion of CD4+ T cells in the IFN-{gamma}-treated vaccinated mice had no effect on CD8+ T cell function of these animals. These findings suggest that IFN-{gamma} directly regulates the CD8+ T cell response during T. gondii infection. The observed augmentation of CD8+ T cell immunity by IFN-{gamma} may occur as a result of the up-regulation of MHC class I molecules, thereby enhancing the quality of Ag presentation. The role of IFN-{gamma} in class I Ag regulation and processing has been demonstrated previously (33, 34). Our data, for the first time, provide direct evidence linking IFN-{gamma} to the regulation of the CD8+ T cell response during T. gondii infection.


    Footnotes
 
1 The project was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants AI33325 (to I.A.K.) and AI35956 (to L.H.K.). Back

2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Imtiaz A. Khan, Department of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, HB7506, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756. E-mail address: Back

3 Abbreviations used in this paper: NO, nitric oxide; LDA, limiting dilution assay; pCTL, precursor CTL; wt, wild type; KO, knockout; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; TLA, Toxoplasma lysate Ag. Back

Received for publication August 24, 1998. Accepted for publication February 4, 1999.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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