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Torque teno viruses exhaust and imprint the human immune system via the HLA-E/NKG2A axis
- Source :
- Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 15 (2024)
- Publication Year :
- 2024
- Publisher :
- Frontiers Media S.A., 2024.
-
Abstract
- The ubiquitous Torque teno virus (TTV) establishes a chronically persistent infection in the human host. TTV has not been associated with any apparent disease, but, as part of the human virome, it may confer a regulatory imprint on the human immune system with as yet unclear consequences. However, so far, only few studies have characterized the TTV-specific immune responses or the overall immunological imprints by TTV. Here, we reveal that TTV infection leads to a highly exhausted TTV-specific CD8+ T-cell response, hallmarked by decreased IFN-γ production and the expression of the inhibitory NKG2A-receptor. On a functional level, we identified a panel of highly polymorphic TTV-encoded peptides that lead to an expansion of regulatory NKG2A+ natural killer, NKG2A+CD4+, and NKG2A+CD8+ T cells via the stabilization of the non-classical HLA-E molecule. Our results thus demonstrate that TTV leads to a distinct imprint on the human immune system that may further regulate overall human immune responses in infectious, autoimmune, and malignant diseases.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16643224
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Immunology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.82d478a87be545c5addb47aeabf2fa73
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1447980