Enhanced survival of lung tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells during infection with influenza virus due to selective expression of IFITM3

LM Wakim, N Gupta, JD Mintern, JA Villadangos - Nature immunology, 2013 - nature.com
LM Wakim, N Gupta, JD Mintern, JA Villadangos
Nature immunology, 2013nature.com
Infection with influenza virus results in the deposition of anti-influenza CD8+ resident
memory T cells (TRM cells) in the lung. As a consequence of their location in the lung
mucosal tissue, these cells are exposed to cytopathic pathogens over the life of the
organism and may themselves be susceptible to infection. Here we found that lung TRM
cells selectively maintained expression of the interferon-induced transmembrane protein
IFITM3, a protein that confers broad resistance to viral infection. Lung TRM cells that lacked …
Abstract
Infection with influenza virus results in the deposition of anti-influenza CD8+ resident memory T cells (TRM cells) in the lung. As a consequence of their location in the lung mucosal tissue, these cells are exposed to cytopathic pathogens over the life of the organism and may themselves be susceptible to infection. Here we found that lung TRM cells selectively maintained expression of the interferon-induced transmembrane protein IFITM3, a protein that confers broad resistance to viral infection. Lung TRM cells that lacked IFITM3 expression were more susceptible to infection than were their normal counterparts and were selectively lost during a secondary bout of infection. Thus, lung TRM cells were programmed to retain IFITM3 expression, which facilitated their survival and protection from viral infection during subsequent exposures.
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