Figure 4. Protein aggregation is required for the induction of OVA-specific T cell responses.

B6 mice (n = 3/group) were immunized (s.c.) twice, 3 weeks apart, with 20 μg monomeric or aggregated OVA protein conjugated to an active or inactive TLR7/8 agonist or OVA protein alone. Seven days after the second immunization with the indicated conjugate vaccines, T cells in spleens were analyzed for cytokine production or tetramer binding by flow cytometry. (A) Frequency of OVA-specific IFN-γ–, IL-2–, or TNF-α–producing CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T cells. (B) Frequency of H-2K^b/OVA_257–264 tetramer–specific CD8⁺ T cells *P < 0.05, comparing aggregated protein conjugated with an active TLR7/8 agonist or the UV-conjugate compared with all other vaccine groups. Each symbol represents an individual mouse.