Characterization of CD8+ T cell subsets in male and female non-obese diabetic mice

Abstract

Objective To compare and analyze the differences in CD8+ naive, effector, memory, exhausted and regulatory T cells in order to investigate the impact of gender on the differentiation fate of CD8+ T cells in the context of type 1 diabetes (T1D) based on female and male non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice and healthy Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice. Methods The frequencies and phenotypes of CD8+ T cell differentiation subsets including naive T cells (TN), central memory T cells (TCM), effector T cells (TEFF), effector precursor T cells (TEP), exhausted T cells (TEX), precursor exhausted T cells (TPEX) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the spleen, pancreatic draining lymph nodes (pLN) and pancreas infiltrating lymphocytes (PIL) of male and female NOD mice were detected by flow cytometry. Results The frequencies of IFN-γ+, CD107a+ and CCL5+ CD8+ TEFF in pLN and PIL of female NOD mice were significantly higher than those of male NOD mice. However, the frequencies of CD8+ TN, CD8+ TCM, CD8+ TEX, CD8+ TPEX and CD122+CD8+ Tregs subsets in the spleen were significantly decreased. While there were no significant differences in the above CD8+ T cell subsets except CD8+ Tregs between female and male ICR mice. Conclusion Androgen may inhibit the differentiation of memory T cells into effector T cells and promote the exhaustion of effector T cells, leading to the difference in morbidity between the male and female mice.

Keywords

• type 1 diabetes
• cd8 positive t lymphocytes
• treg cells
• exhausted t cells
• naive t cells
• memory t cells