Upon <i>M</i>. <i>avium</i> infection of P25 mice, TCR transgenic CD4⁺ T cells are preferably more activated then their non-transgenic peers.

<p><b>A</b>) Representative FACS plot of Ag85B_240-254-tetramer⁺ cells gated on CD4⁺ T cells. <b>B</b>) Enumeration of Ag85B_240-254-tetramer⁺ CD4⁺ T cells in the spleen of non-infected (Ninf) and of 4 wpi WT and P25 mice. <b>C</b>) Percentage of naive (CD62L⁺CD44^lo/int; left), activated (CD62L^-CD44^int/hi; middle) and central memory (CD62L⁺CD44^int/hi; right) cells which are TCR transgenic (Tg; identified as Vα_Mix^-Vβ11⁺) or non-transgenic (Non-Tg; identified as all that are not Vα_Mix^-Vβ11⁺) among CD4⁺ T cells from spleens from non-infected or from 4wpi P25 mice. <b>D</b>) Percentage of IFNγ⁺ (left), IL2⁺ (middle) and TNF⁺ cells (left) upon <i>ex vivo</i> stimulation with <i>M</i>. <i>avium</i> Ag85B_240-254, among P25 transgenic or non-transgenic CD4⁺ T cells. <b>E</b>) Mean fluorescence intensity of IFNγ (left), IL2 (middle) and TNF (left), among cytokine-positive transgenic or non-transgenic CD4⁺ T cells. *<i>p</i> < 0.05, **<i>p</i> < 0.005 and ***<i>p</i> < 0.001 by two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post-hoc tests (B to D) or by Student <i>t-</i>test (E). One out of three independent experiments is depicted.