Lymph node conduits transport virions for rapid T cell activation

Abstract

Abstract Despite intense interest in antiviral T cell priming, the routes of virion movement in lymph nodes (LNs) are imperfectly understood. Current models fail to explain how virus-infected cells rapidly appear within the LN interior after viral infection. To better understand virion trafficking in the LN, we determined virion and infected-cell locations after pox- and zika-virus administration. Surprisingly, many rapidly infected cells in the LN interior were adjacent to LN conduits. Using confocal and electron microscopy, we clearly visualized virions within conduits. Functionally, CD8+ T cells rapidly and preferentially associated with vaccinia-infected cells deeper in the LN, leading to T cell activation in the LN interior. These results reveal that, contrary to dogma, even large virions can flow through lymph node conduits to infect T cell zone DCs that prime CD8 + T cells.