Primary clearance of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 by PKCtheta-/- CD8 T cells is compromised in the absence of help from CD4 T cells.

CD4 T cells are dispensable for acute control of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) but are necessary for effective long-term control of the virus by CD8 T cells. In contrast, protein kinase C theta (PKCtheta) is not essential for either acute or long-term viral control. However, we found that while either CD4 or CD8 T cells could mediate the clearance of MHV-68 from the lungs of PKCtheta(+/+) mice, PKCtheta(-/-) mice depleted of either subset failed to clear the virus.

CXCR2 is required for neutrophil recruitment to the lung during influenza virus infection, but is not essential for viral clearance.

Neutrophils traffic to the lungs in large numbers during influenza virus infection. Although the ability of these cells to respond to numerous chemotactic stimuli has been described in other systems, the chemokine receptors mediating recruitment of neutrophils to the lungs during influenza virus infection and the role of this cell type in viral clearance are currently undefined. In the present study, we used CXCR2(/) mice to investigate the role of the chemokine receptor CXCR2 in neutrophil recruitment to the lungs during influenza virus infection and to determine the role of neutrophils in viral clearance.