Viruses, like HIV and Hep C, are known to have their way of disarming the immune system. How? Well new research from scientists at McGill University has uncovered the molecular mechanism that viruses are using to cause chronic infections. The work was published in Immunity recently.
CD8+ T cells are the immune cells that are known to recognize and destroy infected cells. However, sometimes, a trick gets played on them.
"When it comes to viruses that lead to chronic infection, immune cells receive the wrong set of marching orders, which makes them less responsive," says Martin Richer, senior author of the study.
Logan Smith, a graduate student in Richer's lab, found that viruses were able to persist by driving the production of a cytokine that leads to modification of glycoproteins on the surface of the CD8+ T cells, making the cells less functional. This mechanism helps buy the virus time to spread and establish a chronic infection. This manuever the virus plays is excellent to target to restore some functionality to the T cells and enhance the capacity to control infection.
"We might be able to take advantage of the pathways induced by these signals to fight chronic viral infections by making the immune system more responsive," Richer says. "The findings might also prove useful for diseases like cancer and autoimmunity, where T cells function is poorly regulated."