CD8⁺ T Cell Response to Influenza Virus

Abstract

The flu is an extremely prevalent and potentially devastating disease, especially dangerous to the very young, the elderly, and to people with compromised immune systems. Influenza has a characteristic course of infection, and is often effectively dispatched by the immune system. The cell-mediated lysis of infected cells is a particularly important step in clearing the infection. Antigen specific CD8+ T lymphocytes are selected and activated in the mediastinal lymph node, proliferate and gain effector function, then migrate to the lungs, where they selectively destroy infected cells. The CD8+ effector population pool undergoes a phase of contraction, when most effector cells die. Those that survive become memory T cells, protecting the body from subsequent influenza infections. The molecular and cellular interactions that comprise the CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response to influenza virus are of particular interest because of their implications for the prevention, treatment, and alleviation of the flu.