In this study, we suggest that CD8 levels on T cells are not static, but can change and, as a result, modulate CD8+ T cell responses. We describe three models of CD8 modulation using novel weak-agonist (K1A) and super-agonist (C2A) altered peptide ligands of the HY smcy peptide. First, we used peripheral nonresponsive CD8low T cells produced after peripheral HY-Db MHC class I tetramer stimulation of female HY TCR transgenic and wild-type mice. Second, we used genetically lowered CD8int T cells from heterozygote CD8+/0 mice. Finally, we used pre-existing nonresponsive CD8low T cells from male HY TCR transgenic mice. In CD8low and CD8high mice, presence of a lower level of CD8 greatly decreased the avidity of the peptide-MHC for HY TCR as reflected by avidity (KD) and dissociation constant (T1/2) measurements. All three models demonstrated that lowering CD8 levels resulted in the requirement for a higher avidity peptide-MHC interaction with the TCR to respond equivalently to unmanipulated CD8high T cells of the same specificity. Additionally, direct injections of wild-type HY-Db and C2A-Db tetramers into female HY TCR or female B6 mice induced a high frequency of peripheral nonresponsive CD8low T cells, yet C2A-Db was superior in inducing a primed CD8+CD44+ memory population. The ability to dynamically modulate the size and responsiveness of an Ag-specific T cell pool by “CD8 tuning” of the T cell during the early phases of an immune response has important implications for the balance of responsiveness, memory, and tolerance.

Summary. Immune responses to the factor IX protein pose problems for hemophilia B patients who develop antibodies against factor IX and for potential future treatment with gene therapy. To better define the response to human factor IX, we analyzed T-cell responses to human factor IX in factor IX knockout mice on BALB/c and C57BL/6 (B6) backgrounds, both strains having CD4þ T cells that proliferate in response to human factor IX. Surprisingly, wild-type mice have similar factor IX-recognizing CD4þ T cells. We defined a dominant CD4þ epitope for each strain (CVETGVKITVVAGEH for BALB/c and LLELDEPLVLNSYVTPIC for B6) that was recognized by both factor IX knockout and wild-type mice. While human factor IX did not cross-react with the mouse homologs of these epitopes, immunization with peptides from murine factor IX stimulated proliferation in factor IX knockout mice and wild-type mice, demonstrating a failure to delete murine factor IX-specific T cells in normal mice.