Enhanced proliferation of CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes in MCMV-infected brains following Treg depletion.

(A) Single cell suspensions of brain tissue obtained from infected Foxp3-DTR transgenic mice (2–4 animals per time point) were collected and stained for flow cytometry with PE-Cy5-conjugated Abs specific for CD45, PE-Cy7-labeled for CD8, and Ki67 FITC–conjugated Abs. An isotype Ab for Ki67 FITC was used as gating control. Contour plots showing the proliferation frequency of CD8+ T-cells from infected, untreated (-DTx), and DTx-treated (+DTx) animals at the indicated time points are representative of 2 independent experiments. (B) Pooled data show percentage proliferation of CD8+ T-cells (mean ±SD) in infected brains with and without treatment at the indicated time points. ***p < 0.0001 DTx- versus DTx+ MCMV-infected at 14 dpi. (C) The number of proliferating CD8+ T-cells in infected brains of animals with and without DTx treatment at the indicated time points is shown. **p < 0.001 DTx- versus DTx+ MCMV-infected animals