New Understanding of the Molecular Mechanism that Leads to CD8 T Cell Exhaustion

[Wally]

The company you keep: Dual role for key T cell factor
Date:
February 12, 2015
Source:
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology
Summary:
When fighting chronic viral infections or cancers, a key division of the immune system, known as CD8 T cells, sometimes loses its ability to effectively fight foreign invaders. Overcoming so-called T cell exhaustion is crucial to treating persistent infections but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150212183301.htm

Now, a team of researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology report that the shift is masterminded in part by NFAT, short for Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells, and best known for its crucial role in getting CD8 T cells battle-ready. The findings . . . lay the groundwork for novel treatments to restore immune function. . . .

"Understanding the molecular mechanism that leads to CD8 T cell exhaustion brings us a step closer to developing strategies to induce optimal T cell responses that can successfully clear infections and kill tumor cells,". . . ."Conversely, it may allow us to interfere with autoimmune responses that paradoxically depend on the same protein."