Distinct lymph node entry efficiencies for CD8+ and CD4+ T cells are eliminated during malnourishment.

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Abstract Previous work has suggested that glucocorticoids upregulate expression of the IL-7 receptor component, CD127 on peripheral T cells, even though the total number of peripheral T cells declines dramatically during malnourishment. We have proposed that CD127 up-regulation contributes to peripheral T cell diminishment by increasing the scavenge rate of IL-7 and thereby providing a mechanism to rapidly adjust the total number of T cells during malnutrition. As such, each malnourished T cell would receive a higher dose of IL-7 than control T cells. We next wondered if increased exposure to IL-7 during malnourishment might confer additional energy-saving behaviors. Thus, we compared lymph node entry rates of adoptively-transferred malnourished and control T cells in malnourished and control recipients. As expected, control CD4+ T cells were more efficient than control CD8+ T cells at entering the lymph nodes. Interestingly, regardless of recipient diet, malnourished CD4+ and CD8+T cells entered the lymph nodes at equivalent rates. The molecular events that enable faster CD4+ T cell entry into lymph nodes in control mice is currently unknown. An improved understanding of T cell-intrinsic changes that occur during malnourishment should enhance our knowledge of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell migration, as well as uncover strategies to improve vaccination responses in malnourished children.