AbstractThe chemokine, CXCL10, chemotactic for NK cells, activated T cells, and dendritic cells is highly expressed during viral infections, including HSV-1. The importance of this chemokine to the control of HSV-1 infection was tested using mice deficient in CXCL10 (CXCL10−/−). Following corneal infection, HSV-1 viral titers were elevated in the nervous system of CXCL10−/− mice, which correlated with defects in leukocyte recruitment including dendritic cells, NK cells, and HSV-1-specific CD8+ T cells to the brain stem. In the absence of NK cells and HSV-1-specific CD8+ T cells in wild-type (WT) or CXCL10−/− mice, similar levels of virus were recovered in the nervous system, suggesting these cells are responsible for the observed defects in the control of viral replication in CXCL10−/− mice. Leukocyte mobilization was also compared between WT, CXCL10−/−, and mice deficient in the only known receptor for CXCL10, CXCR3 (CXCR3 −/−). NK cell mobilization was comparably reduced in both CXCL10−/− and CXCR3−/− mice relative to WT animals. However, the reduction in mobilization of HSV-1-specific CD8+ T cells in CXCL10−/− was not observed in CXCR3−/− mice following HSV-1 infection. The defect was not the result of an alternative receptor for CXCL10, as Ag-specific CD8+ T cell recruitment was not reduced in mice which were deficient in both CXCL10 and CXCR3. Thus, CXCL10 deficiency results in reduced mobilization of HSV-1-specific CD8+ T cells as a result of dysregulation of CXCR3 signaling.