NK cells controlling virus-specific T cells: Rheostats for acute vs. persistent infections
Welsh, Raymond M. ; Waggoner, Stephen N.
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Faculty Advisor
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UMass Chan Affiliations
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Keywords
Animals
Chronic Disease
Herpesviridae Infections
Humans
Immunity, Humoral
Immunity, Innate
Immunomodulation
Killer Cells, Natural
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
Mice
Muromegalovirus
Receptors, Natural Killer Cell
T-Lymphocytes
Immunology of Infectious Disease
Immunopathology
Virology
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Abstract
Viral infections characteristically induce a cytokine-driven activated natural killer (NK) cell response that precedes an antigen-driven T cell response. These NK cells can restrain some but not all viral infections by attacking virus-infected cells and can thereby provide time for an effective T cell response to mobilize. Recent studies have revealed an additional immunoregulatory role for the NK cells, where they inhibit the size and functionality of the T cell response, regardless of whether the viruses are themselves sensitive to NK cells. This subsequent change in T cell dynamics can alter patterns of immunopathology and persistence and implicates NK cells as rheostat-like regulators of persistent infections.
Source
Virology. 2013 Jan 5;435(1):37-45. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.10.005. Link to article on publisher's website