Figure 7. Control of Early Viral Load Results in Decreased pDC Cytokine Production, the Maintenance of cDCs, and the Accelerated Expansion of Antigen-Specific CD8 T Cells.

(A) Spleens from Klra8, BALB/c, and BALB/c mice treated with doxycycline 20 h post-infection were harvested on days 0, 1.5, 2, and 3 post–DN-SCP-MCMV infection and homogenized. Viral titers were determined and are presented as in Figure S1B.

(B) Serum from Klra8, BALB/c, and BALB/c mice treated with doxycycline 20 h post-infection was collected on days 0, 1.5, 2, and 3 post–DN-SCP-MCMV infection. Cytokine levels of IFN-α and IL-12p70 were determined and are presented as in Figure 1.

(C) Splenic leukocytes were isolated from on days 0, 1.5, 2, and 3 post–DN-SCP-MCMV infection from Klra8, BALB/c, and BALB/c mice treated with doxycycline 20 h post-infection. The total numbers (in millions) of pDCs, CD11b cDCs, and CD8α cDCs were determined and are presented as in Figure 2.

(D) Splenic leukocytes were isolated on days 0, 4, and 5 post–DN-SCP-MCMV infection from Klra8, BALB/c, and BALB/c mice treated with doxycycline 20 h post-infection. Total numbers (in millions) of CD8 T cells, CD43^hi CD8 T cells, and IE-1 tetramer⁺ CD8 T cells were determined and are presented as in Figure 3.

One experiment representative of two for (A–C), and four for (D) are shown. *p ≤ 0.05; **p ≤ 0.01; § = not detected.