Batf3 deficiency is not critical for the generation of CD8α+ dendritic cells

Recently, we have reported that CD8α+ DCs, rather than CD8+ T cells, are involved in the establishment and maintenance of HSV-1 latency in the trigeminal ganglia (TG) of ocularly infected mice. In the current study, we investigated whether similar results can be obtained using Batf3−/− mice that previously were reported to lack CD8α+ DCs. However, our results demonstrate that Batf3−/− mice, without any known infection, express CD8α+ DCs. Consequently, due to the presence of CD8α+ DCs, no differences were detected in the level of HSV-1 latency between Batf3−/− mice compared with wild type control mice.