A novel role of CD30/CD30 ligand signaling in the generation of long-lived memory CD8+ T cells

Memory CD8(+) T cells can be divided into two subsets, central memory (T,m) and effector memory (T,m) CD8(+) T cells. We found that CD30, a member of the TNFR-associated factor (TRAF)-linked TNFR superfamily, signaling is involved in differentiation of long-lived CD8(+) T-CM cells following Listeria monocytogenes infection. Although CD8+ T,m cells transiently accumulated in the nonlymphoid tissues of CD30 ligand (CD153(-/-)) mice after infection, long-lived memory CD8(+) T-CM cells were poorly generated in these mice. CCR7 mRNA expression was down-regulated in CD8(+) T cells of the spleen of CD153(-/-) mice in vivo and the expression was up-regulated in CD8(+) T,m cells by anti-CD30 mAb cross-linking in vitro. These results suggest that CD30/CD30 ligand signaling plays an important role in the generation of long-lived memory CD8(+) T cells at least partly by triggering homing receptors for T-CM cells.