PLoS ONE (Jan 2020)

Antigen-specific memory and naïve CD4+ T cells following secondary Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

  • Jennifer D Helble,
  • Alexander O Mann,
  • Michael N Starnbach

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240670
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 10
p. e0240670

Abstract

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Memory antigen-specific CD4+ T cells against Chlamydia trachomatis are necessary for protection against secondary genital tract infection. While it is known that naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells can traffic to the genital tract in an antigen-specific manner, these T cells are not protective during primary infection. Here, we sought to compare the differences between memory and naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in the same mouse following secondary infection using transgenic CD4+ T cells (NR1 T cells). Using RNA sequencing, we found that there were subtle but distinct differences between these two T cell populations. Naïve NR1 T cells significantly upregulated cell cycle genes and were more proliferative than memory NR1 T cells in the draining lymph node. In contrast, memory NR1 T cells were more activated than naïve NR1 T cells and were enriched in the genital tract. Together, our data provide insight into the differences between memory and naïve antigen-specific CD4+ T cells during C. trachomatis infection.