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J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 188, Number 1, July 1, 1998 61-70
By
From the Section of Infectious Diseases and the Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of
Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
The mechanisms underlying the genesis and maintenance of T cell memory remain unclear. In
this study, we examined the evolution of a complex, antigen-specific T cell population during
the transition from primary effector to memory T cells after Listeria monocytogenes infection. T
cell populations specific for listeriolysin O (LLO)91-99, the immunodominant epitope recognized by H2-Kd-restricted T lymphocytes, were directly identified in immune spleens using
tetrameric H2-Kd-epitope complexes. The T cell receptor (TCR) V
repertoire of specific T
cells was determined by direct, ex vivo staining with a panel of mAbs. We demonstrate that
LLO91-99-specific, primary effector T cell populations have a diverse TCR V repertoire. Analyses of memory T cell populations demonstrated similar TCR diversity. Furthermore, experiments with individual mice demonstrated that primary effector and memory T cells have
indistinguishable TCR repertoires. Remarkably, after reinfection with L. monocytogenes, LLO91-99-specific T cells have a narrower TCR repertoire than do primary effector or memory
T cells. Thus, our studies show that the TCR repertoire of primary effector T lymphocytes is
uniformly transmitted to memory T cells, whereas expansion of memory T cells is selective.
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