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BookmarkScienceDaily (Feb. 3, 2008) — CD8+ T cells are an important component of antiviral immune responses.
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Much research effort is being invested in identifying new ways to boost antiviral immune responses in individuals with chronic viral infections (such as those infected with HIV and hepatitis C virus) and to boost the efficacy of vaccines designed to target these viruses.
The use of the soluble factor IL-7, which is known to be important in the generation and maintenance of memory CD8+ T cells, has proven attractive. However, new data, generated in mice by M. Suresh and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, have indicated that the timing of IL-7 treatment is important in determining how effective it is at enhancing antiviral immunity.
In the study, IL-7 was shown to enhance the number and function of memory CD8+ T cells only if it was administered during the contraction phase of the immune response mounted after mice were infected with either lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus or vaccinia virus, or were administered a DNA vaccine.
Importantly, CD8+ T cells from IL-7--treated mice exhibited improved viral control. These data have clinical implications for the use of IL-7 as an immunotherapeutic agent both to bolster vaccine-induced CD8+ T cell memory and to boost the immune response of individuals with a chronic viral infection.
The article "Effects of IL-7 on memory CD8+ T cell homeostasis are influenced by the timing of therapy in mice" was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation February 1, 2008.
