Torque teno viruses exhaust and imprint the human immune system via the HLA-E/NKG2A axis.

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^+<

SUBMITTER: Vietzen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11408220 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature