CD4 memory T cells survive and proliferate but fail to differentiate in the absence of CD40.

Secondary T cell responses are enhanced because of an expansion in numbers of antigen-specific (memory) cells. Using major histocompatibility complex class II tetramers we have tracked peptide-specific endogenous (non-T cell receptor transgenic) CD4 memory T cells in normal and in costimulation-deficient mice. CD4 memory T cells were detectable after immunization for more than 200 days, although decay was apparent. Memory cells generated in CD40 knockout mice by immunization with peptide-pulsed wild-type dendritic cells survived in the absence of CD40 and proliferated when boosted with peptide (plus adjuvant) in a CD40-independent fashion. However, differentiation of the memory cells into cytokine-producing effector cells did not occur in the absence of CD40. The data indicate that memory cells can be generated without passing through the effector cell stage.