Tpl2 ablation limits antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses and enhances susceptibility to influenza infection.

<p><b>(A-B)</b> WT and <i>Tpl2</i>^<i>-/-</i> mice were infected with 10⁴ pfu of X31 virus, and the proportion of NP_366–374 tetramer positive CD8⁺ T cells in BAL were assessed. <b>(C)</b> BAL cells were stimulated with a cocktail of influenza immunodominant peptides for 24 hr, and secretion of IFNγ was measured by ELISA; n = 5. <b>(D-E)</b> WT and <i>Tpl2</i>^<i>-/-</i> mice were infected with 10⁴ pfu of X31 virus, body weights were recorded daily for 14 days, and mice exhibiting severe signs of disease, including more than 30% weight loss were euthanized. Data are representative of 3 independent experiments; n = 5. * indicates <i>p</i><0.05, ** indicates <i>p</i><0.01, *** indicates <i>p</i><0.005.