CRTAM controls residency of gut CD4(+)CD8(+) T cells in the steady state and maintenance of gut CD4(+) Th17 during parasitic infection

Retention of lymphocytes in the intestinal mucosa requires specialized chemokine receptors and adhesion molecules. We find that both CD4(+)CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells in the intestinal epithelium, as well as CD8(+) T cells in the intestinal mucosa and mesenteric lymph nodes, express the cell adhesion molecule class I–restricted T cell–associated molecule (Crtam) upon activation, whereas the ligand of Crtam, cell adhesion molecule 1 (Cadm1), is expressed on gut CD103(+)DCs. Lack of Crtam–Cadm1 interactions in Crtam(−/−) and Cadm1(−/−) mice results in loss of CD4(+)CD8(+) T cells, which arise from mucosal CD4(+) T cells that acquire a CD8 lineage expression profile. After acute oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii, both WT and Crtam(−/−) mice mounted a robust TH1 response, but markedly fewer TH17 cells were present in the intestinal mucosa of Crtam(−/−) mice. The almost exclusive TH1 response in Crtam(−/−) mice resulted in more efficient control of intestinal T. gondii infection. Thus, Crtam–Cadm1 interactions have a major impact on the residency and maintenance of CD4(+)CD8(+) T cells in the gut mucosa in the steady state. During pathogenic infection, Crtam–Cadm1 interactions regulate the dynamic equilibrium between newly formed CD4(+) T cells and their retention in the gut, thereby shaping representation of disparate CD4(+) T cell subsets and the overall quality of the CD4(+) T cell response.