Interleukin-21 reduces Listeria monocytogenes secondary infection via CD8+ effector memory T cells
Abstract Background/Purpose: Interleukin-21 (IL-21), which is a member of the common γ-chain cytokine family, is mainly produced by CD4+ T cells and has broad impact on immune responses. IL-21 isoform is a splicing variant of IL-21 and is functionally similar to conventional IL-21. We established IL-21 isoform transgenic (IL-21isoTg) mouse, which constitutively expresses IL-21 isoform specifically in T cells. IL-21isoTg mouse possesses high amount of CD8+ T cells in normal physiological condition. The purpose of this study is to determine whether CD8+ T cells in the IL-21isoTg mouse work against intracellular bacteria infection.Methods: Wild type (WT) and IL-21isoTg mouse are orally inoculated Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) on day 0, and 15 days after primary infection. Bacterial load in each organs, and T cell responses are analyzed.Results: IL-21isoTg and wild type (WT) mouse had similar bacterial load after L. monocytogenes primary infection. On the other hand, after secondary challenge infection, IL-21isoTg mouse exhibited reduced bacterial load in some organs compared to WT. Analysis of T cell response after primary infection showed that IL-21isoTg mouse induced higher levels of CD8+ effector memory T (TEM) cells than WT.Conclusion: IL-21-induced CD8+ TEM cells might eventually reduce the bacterial load in organs after secondary challenge infection in IL-21isoTg mouse. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that IL-21 is a pivotal factor involved in eliminating intracellular bacteria, probably through CD8+ TEM cells.