Fig. 2.

Liver memory CD8 T cells generated in LARC GAP-immunized mice are critical to protection. a Schematic of the immunization regimen. Mice were immunized thrice with 50,000 LARC GAP sporozoites prior to memory CD8 T cell characterization by FACS analysis. b Gating strategy outlining the characterization of memory CD8 T cells in the three anatomical sites examined. Memory CD8 T cells are stratified either as CD44^hiCXCR3+CD69+ of CD62Llo CD8+ T lymphocytes or CD44hiCD62L^loCD69+ of CD8+ T lymphocytes. c Schematic of immunization with CXCR3 depletion. Mice were immunized thrice with 50,000 LARC GAP sporozoites and then treated with a CXCR3-depleting mAb twice before a sporozoite challenge. d Injection with a CXCR3 mAb reduces the proportion of liver memory CD8 T cells. e Injection with a CXCR3 mAb reduces the total number of liver memory CD8 T cells in immunized mice. f Examination of blood stage infection in immunized B6 mice treated with a CXCR3-depleting mAb or isotype control antibody and challenged with WT sporozoites 30 days post last immunization. Injection with a CXCR3 mAb abrogates protection against a sporozoite challenge. Data from panels b, d–f are compiled from two independent experiments with at least three mice in each group per experiment. Each dot represents a single mouse. Bar graphs are expressed as mean ±  SD. Total number of mice in each experiment is shown in the survival curves. ***p < 0.0001, *p < 0.05 (from unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-test). Components of this figure were created using Servier Medical Art templates, which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; https://smart.servier.com