IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Epithelial antigen compartmentalization dictates CD4+ T cell fate during C. rodentium infection

Epithelial antigen compartmentalization dictates CD4+ T cell fate during C. rodentium infection

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Video Summary

Garrett from Casey Weaver’s lab presented work on how intestinal epithelial cell antigen presentation shapes CD4 T cell fate in the Citrobacter rodentium infection model. He showed that MHC class II remains highly expressed on epithelial cells long after infection clears. To test how antigen location matters, the team engineered bacterial proteins containing a SMARTA GP66 epitope in either surface-exposed or cytosolic compartments. Only cytosolic antigens generated strong antigen-specific CD4 T cell responses and tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs) in the colon. These TRMs persisted for months and remained associated with the epithelium. In contrast, surface antigens favored gut-associated lymphoid tissue localization and a more central memory-like phenotype. Using epithelial MHC II knockouts and proximity labeling, they found that ongoing epithelial MHC II interactions are required for TRM maintenance. Overall, epithelial antigen presentation promotes durable intraepithelial CD4 TRM formation, while loss of this signal shifts cells toward central memory-like states.

Meta Tag

Date April 17, 2026 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Room 153AB

Session T Cell Responses to the Gut Microbiota

Speaker C. Wilson

Track Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

Year 2026

Keywords

intestinal epithelial cell antigen presentation

CD4 T cell fate

Citrobacter rodentium infection

MHC class II

tissue-resident memory T cells

April 17, 2026 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

153AB

T Cell Responses to the Gut Microbiota

C. Wilson

Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

2026