FIG 4.

CD8⁺ T cell responses and ISG expression in the spleens of WT and STING N153S mice after γHV68 infection. Mice were inoculated intranasally with 2 × 10⁵ PFU of γHV68 and were sacrificed 14 days after infection. Spleens were harvested and leukocytes isolated for flow cytometric analysis. (A) Total number of CD45⁺ cells. (B and C) Frequency (B) and number (C) of CD8⁺ cells in the CD45⁺ population. (D and E) Frequency (D) and number (E) of ORF6 tetramer-positive CD8⁺ cells in the CD8⁺ population. (F to I) Splenocytes were restimulated with the immunodominant ORF6-derived peptide for 4 h. Cells were intracellularly stained and were analyzed for cytokine production via flow cytometry to calculate the frequency (F and H) and numbers (G and I) of restimulated CD8⁺ T cells producing IFN-γ (F and G) and TNF-α (H and I). Data represent the mean results for 8 to 9 mice per group, pooled from 2 independent experiments. Results for panels A to I were analyzed by an unpaired t test. (J) Splenocytes of uninfected WT and STING N153S mice were analyzed for expression of ISGs by qRT-PCR. Data represent the mean results for 8 to 9 mice per group, pooled from 2 independent experiments. Results were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test. **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; ****, P < 0.0001.