Fig. 2.

Protective CD8 T-cell immunity can be achieved rapidly by cross-priming with antigen-coated, irradiated autologous PBMC followed by short-interval booster immunization. (A) Experimental design: PBMC were obtained from individual mice via retro-orbital bleeding, coated with full-length Ova protein in PBS or with PBS only, irradiated, and returned to the same donor mouse. Control mice received irradiated autologous PBMC without Ova coating. Mice received a virLM-Ova (∼10⁵ cfu/mouse) booster immunization 7 d after priming. (B) Kinetics of Ova₂₅₇-specific CD8 T-cell response (mean frequency ± SEM, n = 5) in PBL. (C) Vaccinia viral titer per ovary pair 3 d after a high-dose VacV-Ova challenge (∼5 × 10⁷ pfu/mouse, i.v.). Naïve or memory mice were challenged with VacV-Ova on day 65 after priming. *Statistical analysis was performed using an unpaired, two-tailed t test.