Qualitative and quantitative requirements for CD4(+) T cell-mediated antiviral protection

CD4(+) Th cells deliver the cognate and cytokine signals that promote the production of protective virus-neutralizing IgG by specific B cells and are also able to mediate direct antiviral effector functions, To quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the antiviral functions of CD4(+) Th cells, we generated transgenic mice (tg7) expressing an MHC class Il (I-A(b))-restricted TCR specific for a peptide derived from the glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), The elevated precursor frequency of naive VSV-specific Th cells in tg7 mice led to a markedly accelerated and enhanced class switching to virus-neutralizing IgG after immunization with inactivated VSV, Furthermore, in contrast to nontransgenic controls, tg7 mice rapidly cleared a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the VSV-G (Vacc-IND-G) from peripheral organs, By adoptive transfer of naive tg7 CD4(+) T cells into T cell-deficient recipients, we found that 10(5) transferred CD4(+) T cells were sufficient to induce isotype switching after challenge with a suboptimal dose of inactivated VSV, In contrast, naive transgenic CD4(+) T cells were unable to adoptively confer protection against peripheral infection with Vacc-IND-G. However, tg7 CD4(+) T cells that had been primed in vitro with VSV-G peptide were able to adoptively transfer protection against Vacc-IND-G, These results demonstrate that the antiviral properties of CD4(+) T cells are governed by the differentiation status of the CD4(+) T cell and by the type of effector response required for virus elimination.