Gamma Interferon Is Required for <italic toggle="yes">Chlamydia</italic> Clearance but Is Dispensable for T Cell Homing to the Genital Tract

ABSTRACT While there is no effective vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infection, previous work has demonstrated the importance of C. trachomatis-specific CD4+ T cells (NR1 T cells) in pathogen clearance. Specifically, NR1 T cells have been shown to be protective in mice, and this protection depends on the host’s ability to sense the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ). However, it is unclear what role NR1 production or sensing of IFN-γ plays in T cell homing to the genital tract or T cell-mediated protection against C. trachomatis. Using two-photon microscopy and flow cytometry, we found that naive wild-type (WT), IFN-γ−/−, and IFN-γR−/− NR1 T cells specifically home to sections in the genital tract that contain C. trachomatis. We also determined that protection against infection requires production of IFN-γ from either NR1 T cells or endogenous cells, further highlighting the importance of IFN-γ in clearing C. trachomatis infection. IMPORTANCE Chlamydia trachomatis is an important mucosal pathogen that is the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections in the United States. Despite this, there is no vaccine currently available. In order to develop such a vaccine, it is necessary to understand the components of the immune response that can lead to protection against this pathogen. It is well known that antigen-specific CD4+ T cells are critical for Chlamydia clearance, but the contexts in which they are protective or not protective are unknown. Here, we aimed to characterize the importance of gamma interferon production and sensing by T cells and the effects on the immune response to C. trachomatis. Our work here helps to define the contexts in which antigen-specific T cells can be protective, which is critical to our ability to design an effective and protective vaccine against C. trachomatis.