GSBS Student Publications
Title
Alpha beta and gamma delta T-cell networks and their roles in natural resistance to viral infections
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Department of Pathology
Date
1-7-1998
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Animals; Humans; Immunity, Natural; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; T-Lymphocytes; Virus Diseases
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Both alpha beta and gamma delta T-cell populations and natural killer (NK) cells include cytotoxic, interferon (IFN)-gamma-producing lymphocytes that actively respond to viral infections. We show here that all three populations can provide "natural resistance" to viruses very early in infection and describe how the T-cell populations are modulated to provide this function. gamma delta T cells were shown to play a role in controlling vaccinia virus (VV) infections, as VV grew to much higher titers in gamma delta T-cell knockout mice than in normal mice 3-4 days post-infection. Our studies of the alpha beta T-cell responses to viruses revealed an interactive network of T cells that is modulated substantially during systemic infections. There is an induction phase associated with a massive virus-specific CD8 T-cell response, an apoptosis phase during which the T cells become sensitized to activation-induced cell death (AICD), a silencing phase, during which the T-cell number and activation state is reduced, and, finally, a memory phase associated with the very stable preservation of virus-specific memory cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors (pCTL). Infection of mice immune to one virus with a heterologous virus leads to a selective expansion of memory CTL cross-reacting between the two viruses, but, after homeostasis is again established, there is a quantitative reduction and qualitative alteration of memory to the first virus. Our results suggest that memory alpha beta T cells cross-reactive between heterologous viruses mediate both immunopathology and protective immunity at early stages of the second virus infection. Thus, memory alpha beta T cells can, like gamma delta T cells and NK cells, provide natural immunity to viral infections.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Immunol Rev. 1997 Oct;159:79-93.
Related Resources
Journal Title
Immunological reviews
PubMed ID
9416504
Repository Citation
Welsh, Raymond M.; Lin, Meei Y.; Lohman, Barbara L.; Varga, Steven Michael; Zarozinski, Christopher C.; and Selin, Liisa K., "Alpha beta and gamma delta T-cell networks and their roles in natural resistance to viral infections" (1998). GSBS Student Publications. 1337.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/1337