Low-affinity ligands for the TCR drive proliferation of mature CD8+ T cells in lymphopenic hosts.

In the absence of thymic emigration, the peripheral T cell pool is maintained by division of mature lymphocytes. We have examined the molecular interactions required for peripheral CD8+ T cell expansion in lymphopenic mice without conventional antigenic stimulation. Expansion of CD8+ T cells in lymphopenic hosts was found to be peptide specific. An antagonist peptide known to serve as a ligand for positive selection of these T cells promoted expansion; however, a control peptide that binds the same class I molecule did not. Surprisingly, the cells undergoing proliferation in lymphopenic hosts did not mature to cytotoxic effectors and displayed a partially activated surface phenotype. These data suggest that division of T cells in the periphery of lymphopenic hosts requires specific recognition of self-peptide/MHC complexes, similar to the signal for thymocyte maturation.