Divergent Effects of Cytomegalovirus and Rheumatoid Arthritis on Senescent CD4⁺ T Cells.

ABSTRACT: Chronic antigen exposure drives CD4⁺ T cell senescence, yet how autoimmunity and persistent viral infections differentially shape T cell differentiation and function remains unclear. Using cytomegalovirus (CMV) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as models of chronic immune activation, we performed high-dimensional mass cytometry and functional assays to define their impact on CD4⁺ T cells. In CMV-seropositive individuals, CD27^-CD28^- CD4⁺ T cells were abundant and exhibited a predominantly cytotoxic, nonproliferative phenotype. Only a minor fraction was CMV-reactive, suggesting that bystander-driven differentiation contributes to this subset. In the absence of CMV, senescent CD4⁺ T cells were infrequent and phenotypically distinct, though they still exhibited low proliferat

SUBMITTER: Williams L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12616766 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature