Transcriptomic Profiling Identifies CD8+ T Cells in the Brain of Aged and Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mice as Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells

Abstract

Peripheral immune cell infiltration into the brain is a prominent feature in aging and various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). As AD progresses, CD8⁺ T cells infiltrate into the brain parenchyma, where they tightly associate with neurons and microglia. The functional properties of CD8⁺ T cells in the brain are largely unknown. To gain further insights into the putative functions of CD8⁺ T cells in the brain, we explored and compared the transcriptomic profile of CD8⁺ T cells isolated from the brain and blood of transgenic AD (APPswe/PSEN1dE9, line 85 [APP-PS1]) and age-matched wild-type (WT) mice. Brain CD8⁺ T cells of APP-PS1 and WT animals had similar transcriptomic profiles and substantially differed from blood circulating CD8⁺ T cells. The gene signature of brain CD8⁺ T cells identified them as tissue-resident memory (Trm) T cells. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis on the significantly upregulated genes revealed overrepresentation of biological processes involved in IFN-β signaling and the response to viral infections. Furthermore, brain CD8⁺ T cells of APP-PS1 and aged WT mice showed similar differentially regulated genes as brain Trm CD8⁺ T cells in mouse models with acute virus infection, chronic parasite infection, and tumor growth. In conclusion, our profiling of brain CD8⁺ T cells suggests that in AD, these cells exhibit similar adaptive immune responses as in other inflammatory diseases of the CNS, potentially opening the door for immunotherapy in AD.