Title

Short-term corticosterone treatment decreases the early CD8+ T cell response to simian virus 40 tumor antigen but has no impact on the late CD8+ T cell response

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

Publication Date

2-1-2013

Abstract

CD8+ T cells (TCD8) help control tumor growth in vivo through recognition of distinct tumor antigens and cytolysis of tumor cells. The TCD8 immune response in C57BL/6 mice to the Simian Virus 40 oncoprotein, large tumor antigen (Tag), targets multiple epitopes and is well-characterized. Epitope IV, an H-2Kb-restricted epitope, is immunodominant while epitope I, an H-2Db-restricted epitope is subdominant. GCs alter many aspects of T cell function. Indeed, the current studies demonstrate that exposure of mice to the immunosuppressive GC, corticosterone (CORT), over the entire course of the primary immune response limits activation of endogenous Tag-specific TCD8. Even short-term CORT treatment from day -1 to day +2 post-immunization significantly reduced splenic size and the absolute number of Tag-specific TCD8 on day 6 post-immunization. In vivo killing activity was also reduced. However, by day 10 post-immunization, the peak of the immune response, the absolute number of Tag-specific TCD8 and their in vivo killing of epitope I or epitope IV-expressing target cells had recovered in CORT treated mice. Adoptive transfer of transgenic T cells post-CORT removal demonstrated that CORT decreased the ability of the endogenous antigen-presenting cells to induce proliferation of the exogenous transgenic T cells. Combined, these studies have implications about the timing of clinical steroid treatment relative to immunization or adoptive transfer for cancer immunotherapy. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.

Volume

28

First Page

139

Last Page

148

DOI

10.1016/j.bbi.2012.11.005

ISSN

08891591

E-ISSN

10902139

PubMed ID

23164951

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