Synergistic CD40 signaling on APCs and CD8 T cells drives efficient CD8 response and memory differentiation

The role of CD4 help during CD8 response and memory differentiation has been clearly demonstrated in differ-ent experimental models. However, the exact mecha-nisms of CD4 help remain largely unknown and pre-clude replacement therapy to develop. Interestingly, studies have shown that administration of an agonist aCD40ab can substitute CD4 help in vitro and in vivo, whereas the targets of this antibody remain elusive. In this study, we address the exact role of CD40 expres-sion on APCs and CD8 T cells using aCD40ab treat-ment in mice. We demonstrate that aCD40 antibodies have synergetic effects on APCs and CD8 T cells. Full efficiency of aCD40 treatment requires CD40 expres-sion on both populations: if one of these cell popula-tions is CD40-deficient, the CD8 T cell response is im-paired. Most importantly, direct CD40 signaling on APCs and CD8 T cells affects CD8 T cell differentiation differently. In our model, CD40 expression on APCs plays an important but dispensable role on CD8 T cell expansion and effector functions during the early phase of the immune response. Conversely, CD40 on CD8 T cells is crucial and nonredundant for their progressive differentiation into memory cells. Altogether, these re-sults highlight that CD40–CD40L-dependent and inde-pendent effects of CD4 help to drive a complete CD8 T cell differentiation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 91: 000–000