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©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 28, 2007; 13(36): 4848-4857
Published online Sep 28, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i36.4848
Published online Sep 28, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i36.4848
Memory CD8+ T cell differentiation in viral infection: A cell for all seasons
Henry Radziewicz, Luke Uebelhoer, Arash Grakoui, Emory Vaccine Center and Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
Bertram Bengsch, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg 79106, Germany
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by NIH National Center for Research Resources K12 RR017643 and NIH K08 AI072191 (HR), the National Institutes of Health through the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative, Cancer Research Institute Investigator Award, Woodruff Health Sciences Fund, Yerkes Research Center Base Grant RR-00165 and NIH AI070101 (AG)
Correspondence to: Arash Grakoui, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States. arash.grakoui@emory.edu
Telephone: +1-404-7275850 Fax: +1-404-7277768
Received: June 26, 2007
Revised: July 2, 2007
Accepted: July 9, 2007
Published online: September 28, 2007
Revised: July 2, 2007
Accepted: July 9, 2007
Published online: September 28, 2007
Abstract
Chronic viral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are major global health problems affecting more than 500 million people worldwide. Virus-specific CD8+ T cells play an important role in the course and outcome of these viral infections and it is hypothesized that altered or impaired differentiation of virus-specific CD8+ T cells contributes to the development of persistence and/or disease progression. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms responsible for functional differentiation of CD8+ T cells is essential for the generation of successful therapies aiming to strengthen the adaptive component of the immune system.