Newly recruited intraepithelial Ly6A+CCR9+CD4+ T cells protect against enteric viral infection

Abstract

The intestinal epithelium comprises the body's largest surface exposed to viruses. Additionally, the gut epithelium hosts a large population of intraepithelial T lymphocytes, or IELs, although their role in resistance against viral infections remains elusive. By fate-mapping T cells recruited to the murine intestine, we observed an accumulation of newly recruited CD4⁺ T cells after infection with murine norovirus CR6 and adenovirus type-2 (AdV), but not reovirus. CR6- and AdV-recruited intraepithelial CD4⁺ T cells co-expressed Ly6A and chemokine receptor CCR9, exhibited T helper 1 and cytotoxic profiles, and conferred protection against AdV in vivo and in an organoid model in an IFN-γ-dependent manner. Ablation of the T cell receptor (TCR) or the transcription factor ThPOK in CD4⁺ T cells prior to AdV infection prevented viral control, while TCR ablation during infection did not impact viral clearance. These results uncover a protective role for intraepithelial Ly6A⁺CCR9⁺CD4⁺ T cells against enteric adenovirus.

Keywords: T cell differentiation; cytotoxic T cells; enteric virus; intestinal epithelial cells; intraepithelial lymphocyte.