CD8A and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: Importantly, MC initiated antigen-dependent and MHC class I-mediated cross-presentation to CD8+ T cells has been shown to regulate CD8+ T cell effector functions including proliferation, cytokine secretion, and cytotoxic activity in vitro; this was supported by complementary in vivo studies in which antigen-specific CD8+ T cell numbers were reduced in MC-deficient mice, using the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model (42).