FIGURE 9.

RSV G₁₈₃-specific CD4 T cells in gld mice exhibit enhanced apoptotic phenotype. BALB/c WT or gld mice were immunized with 3×10⁶ PFU of vacvG and 21 days later challenged i.n. with 3×10⁶ PFU of RSV. Lymphocytes from the mediastinal lymph nodes (MedLN), lung and BAL were harvested at day 5 after RSV challenge. Cells isolated from the lung, and BAL were analyzed from each animal. Cells from the MedLN were analyzed as a pool representing 3 or 4 animals per group in each individual experiment. (A) Dot plots represent the gating strategy used to identify Vβ14⁺ CD4 T cells. Lymphocytes were gated based on forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) properties. These cells were subsequently gated on Vβ14⁺ CD4 T cells. Depicted are representative dot plots generated from the lung of vacvG-immunized WT mice at day 5 post-RSV challenge. (B) Representative staining of caspase 3/7 (top panel) or Annexin V (bottom panel) on Vβ14⁺ CD4 T cells from the MedLN, lung, or BAL. (C) Quantification of caspase 3/7 staining or (D) Annexin V staining on Vβ14⁺ CD4 T cells. Representative data from 1 of 3 individual experiments is shown with an n=3–4 mice per group. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. *, p<0.05.