Fig. 4. ZIKV infection induces a population of CD8⁺ T cells with a bystander activated phenotype.

Ifnar^−/− mice were infected with PBS (naïve) or 4x10⁵ PFU ZIKV via FTPD. At 7 dpi, cells from the blood and brain were isolated for flow cytometry analysis. a Representative flow plots of NKG2D and CD25 staining of CD8⁺ T cells in the blood and brain of naïve and ZIKV-infected mice. b Proportion of blood CD8⁺ T cells that are NKG2D⁺(n =3, 5). c MFI of NKG2D on blood CD8⁺ T cells (n =3, 5). d Representative flow cytometry plots of APC-conjugated tetramer and NKG2D expression on CD8⁺ T cells in the naïve spleen and ZIKV-infected brains. e Proportion of CD45⁺ cells in naïve or ZIKV-infected brains that are CD8⁺ T cells and their expression of NKG2D and tetramer staining (n =3). f Counts of CD8⁺ T cells subset on NKG2D and tetramer staining (n =3). Data represent mean ± SEM (b, c, e, f) and represent one of two independent experiments with similar results. Statistical significance was determined by two-tailed t-test (b, c) and two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test (e, f). Tet tetramer, MFI mean fluorescence intensity. See also Supplementary Fig. 3. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.