Functional and transcriptional heterogeneity within the massively expanding HLADR⁺CD38⁺ CD8 T cell population in acute febrile dengue patients.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

CD8 T cells play a crucial role in protecting against intracellular pathogens such as viruses by eliminating infected cells and releasing anti-viral cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFNγ). Consequently, there is significant interest in comprehensively characterizing CD8 T cell responses in acute dengue febrile patients. Previous studies, including our own, have demonstrated that a discrete population of CD8 T cells with HLADR⁺ CD38⁺ phenotype undergoes massive expansion during the acute febrile phase of natural dengue virus infection. Although about a third of these massively expanding HLADR⁺ CD38⁺ CD8 T cells were also CD69^high when examined ex vivo, only a small fraction of them produced IFNγ upon in vitro peptide stimulation. Therefore, to better understand such functional diversity of CD8 T cells responding to dengue virus infection, it is important to know the cytokines/chemokines expressed by these peptide-stimulated HLADR⁺CD38⁺ CD8 T cells and the transcriptional profiles that distinguish the CD69⁺IFNγ⁺, CD69⁺IFNγ^-, and CD69^-IFNγ^- subsets.

SUBMITTER: Singh P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10688317 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature