Figure 4. The absence of CVB3-induced CD8⁺ T cell responses cannot be attributed to redistribution into non-lymphoid target organs.

Equal numbers (10⁴) of P14 and SMARTA cells from uninfected mice were combined and transferred into uninfected recipients. Four days post transfer, mice were infected with rCVB3.6 or LCMV and, 8 days later, mononuclear cells were isolated from the spleen, heart, and pancreas. (A) P14 and SMARTA responses were analyzed by flow cytometry. The gates shown in the dot plots identify P14, SMARTA, or CD4⁺ SMARTA⁻ cells, and the numbers indicate their percentage among all mononuclear cells. (B) Frequency of P14 and SMARTA cells as a percentage of relevant cells (CD8⁺ or CD4⁺) in the spleen. (C) Total number of P14 and SMARTA cells in the spleen. Data are shown as the mean+SD of 3 or 4 mice per group. (D) The expression of CD44, CD62L, and CD127 on SMARTA cells from the spleen, heart, and pancreas was compared in rCVB3.6-infected and LCMV-infected mice. The dot plots shown are gated on CD4⁺ cells, and the numbers indicate the proportion of cells in each quadrant, as a percentage of all CD4⁺ cells. CD45.1⁺ SMARTA cells are present in the upper right and left quadrants. All data are representative of 2 independent experiments.