About the Authors

Zhan Ye

Current address: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Amanda A. Gorman

Current address: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Annette M. Uittenbogaard

Current address: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Kentucky, United States of America

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Tanya Myers-Morales

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Alan M. Kaplan

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Donald A. Cohen

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Susan C. Straley

scstra01@uky.edu

Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: ZY AAG AMU TM-M SCS. Performed the experiments: ZY AAG AMU TM-M SCS. Analyzed the data: ZY AAG AMU TM-M AMK DAC SCS. Wrote the paper: SCS. Provided guidance throughout the study on immunology and immunological methodology: AMK DAC. Helped with flow-cytometry: DAC.