Again, besides the overall selleck products requirement of T-cell help the underlying mechanism also seems to be defined by the nature of the stimuli. In the context of chronic antigen exposure (such as in chronic viral infections), the presence of CD4+ T cells during the priming phase seems

to play a critical role for the maintenance and functionality of CD8+ T-cell responses and recent reports indicate a pivotal role of IL-2 and IL-21 in this process [[66, 72-75]]. In contrast to acute/resolved infections where memory CD8+ T-cell maintenance is antigen-independent but dependent on the homeostatic cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 [[76-78]], the maintenance of CD8+ T cells during actively replicating chronic infections is strictly

dependent on antigen presence and increased cell turnover [[79, 80]], which seems to be supported by T-helper cells and in particular by IL-21 secreted by CD4+ T cells in the context of chronic antigen encounter [[72-74, 81, 82]]. A recent report selleck kinase inhibitor focusing on the requirement of CD4+ T-cell help during the memory recall response in the context of high antigen load and antigen persistence found memory LCMV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses more reliant on CD4+ T-cell help than naïve virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses [[83]]. In the case of persistent latent infections, such as CMV, which are associated with much lower antigen loads compared with those of actively replicating persistent viral infections, CD4+ T cells were shown to shape the virus-specific CD8+ T-cell Etofibrate responses. Murine CMV (MCMV) infection induces two distinct patterns of CD8+ T-cell responses. While CD8+ T cells with some specificities follow the

classical expansion–contraction–memory kinetics usually observed during acute and resolved infections, CD8+ T cells with other specificities continue to expand and plateau at high frequencies which are maintained in an effector memory state during the entire course of the infection, collectively referred to as “memory CD8+ T-cell inflation” [[6, 84]]. Memory inflation is driven by recurrent exposure to CMV antigens [[85]] and CD4+ T cells were essential in facilitating memory CD8+ T-cell inflation, which was likely mediated by their provision of IL-2 [[75, 86]]. In particular, during chronic viral infection CD4+ T cells might also influence CD8+ T-cell responses indirectly by altering the level of antigen load, which is perceived by the specific CD8+ T cells. In this line of reasoning, T-helper cells may influence CD8+ T-cell responses indirectly by interacting with B cells, thereby modulating virus-specific antibody production. Indeed, CD4+ T cells were recently shown to preferentially differentiate into follicular T helper (Tfh) cells in the context of chronic LCMV infection, thereby promoting LCMV-specific humoral immunity which resulted in eventual control of the infection [[87]].