TY - JOUR
T1 - Systemic virus infection results in CD8 T cell recruitment to the retina in the absence of local virus infection
AU - Paskeviciute, Egle
AU - Chen, Mei
AU - Xu, Heping
AU - Honoré, Bent
AU - Vorum, Henrik
AU - Sørensen, Torben Lykke
AU - Christensen, Jan Pravsgaard
AU - Thomsen, Allan Randrup
AU - Nissen, Mogens Holst
AU - Steffensen, Maria Abildgaard
PY - 2023/8/18
Y1 - 2023/8/18
N2 - During recent years, evidence has emerged that immune privileged sites such as the CNS and the retina may be more integrated in the systemic response to infection than was previously believed. In line with this, it was recently shown that a systemic acute virus infection leads to infiltration of CD8 T cells in the brains of immunocompetent mice. In this study, we extend these findings to the neurological tissue of the eye, namely the retina. We show that an acute systemic virus infection in mice leads to a transient CD8 T cell infiltration in the retina that is not directed by virus infection inside the retina. CD8 T cells were found throughout the retinal tissue, and had a high expression of CXCR6 and CXCR3, as also reported for tissue residing CD8 T cells in the lung and liver. We also show that the pigment epithelium lining the retina expresses CXCL16 (the ligand for CXCR6) similar to epithelial cells of the lung. Thus, our results suggest that the retina undergoes immune surveillance during a systemic infection, and that this surveillance appears to be directed by mechanisms similar to those described for non-privileged tissues.
AB - During recent years, evidence has emerged that immune privileged sites such as the CNS and the retina may be more integrated in the systemic response to infection than was previously believed. In line with this, it was recently shown that a systemic acute virus infection leads to infiltration of CD8 T cells in the brains of immunocompetent mice. In this study, we extend these findings to the neurological tissue of the eye, namely the retina. We show that an acute systemic virus infection in mice leads to a transient CD8 T cell infiltration in the retina that is not directed by virus infection inside the retina. CD8 T cells were found throughout the retinal tissue, and had a high expression of CXCR6 and CXCR3, as also reported for tissue residing CD8 T cells in the lung and liver. We also show that the pigment epithelium lining the retina expresses CXCL16 (the ligand for CXCR6) similar to epithelial cells of the lung. Thus, our results suggest that the retina undergoes immune surveillance during a systemic infection, and that this surveillance appears to be directed by mechanisms similar to those described for non-privileged tissues.
KW - Animals
KW - Brain
KW - CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
KW - CXCL16
KW - Cd8 T Cell
KW - Chemokine CXCL16
KW - Cxcr6
KW - Immune Surveillance
KW - Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (Lcmv)
KW - Mice
KW - Retina
KW - Retinal pigment epithelial cell
KW - Sepsis
KW - Virus Diseases
U2 - 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1221511
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1221511
M3 - Article
SN - 1664-3224
VL - 14
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
JF - Frontiers in Immunology
ER -