Helping the CD8+ T-cell response

MJ Bevan - Nature Reviews Immunology, 2004 - nature.com
MJ Bevan
Nature Reviews Immunology, 2004nature.com
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that express the CD8 co-receptor are the guided missiles of
the immune system. They express clonally distributed receptors for foreign antigen, undergo
marked proliferation in response to infection and kill any cell that expresses their target
antigen. When an infection is cleared or brought under control, the progeny of these cytolytic
effectors are retained as an essential component of immunological memory. As I discuss
here, similar to other aspects of immunity, their clonal expansion and survival depend on the …
Abstract
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that express the CD8 co-receptor are the guided missiles of the immune system. They express clonally distributed receptors for foreign antigen, undergo marked proliferation in response to infection and kill any cell that expresses their target antigen. When an infection is cleared or brought under control, the progeny of these cytolytic effectors are retained as an essential component of immunological memory. As I discuss here, similar to other aspects of immunity, their clonal expansion and survival depend on the activity of CD4+ T cells, although the mechanism(s) of 'help' for CTL responses is still debated.
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