Figure 3.

Perforin and IFN-γ produced byCD4+CD161+ T cells were required to inhibit intracellular mycobacterial growth. (A–F) Two panels of bar graphs show the effect of anti-cytokine neutralization Abs on CD4+CD161+ T-cell inhibition of intracellular BCG growth. Shown are mean survival indexes ± SD for BCG bacilli in infected hMDM (Media only) andCD4+CD161+ T cells (+ DP T cells) plus infected hMDM co-cultured for 72 h at a ratio of 10:1 in the absence or presence of anti-IFN-γ, anti-IL-17A, anti-TNF-α, anti-perforin, anti-granulysin, anti-FasL Abs, and corresponding Ig isotype controls, respectively (5 ug/ml for each). Note that only the anti-IFN-γ and anti-perforin blockades in the co-culture system could reverse theCD4+CD161+ T-cell-mediated inhibition of mycobacterial growth. Data shown as mean ± SD are derived from five experiments using 12 healthy donors for preparing hMDM. ****p < 0.0001, ***p < 0.001, **p < 0.05, ns, not significant (ANOVA, Tukey’s test).