A role for the chemokine RANTES in regulating CD8 T cell responses during chronic viral infection.

ABSTRACT: RANTES (CCL5) is a chemokine expressed by many hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell types that plays an important role in homing and migration of effector and memory T cells during acute infections. The RANTES receptor, CCR5, is a major target of anti-HIV drugs based on blocking viral entry. However, defects in RANTES or RANTES receptors including CCR5 can compromise immunity to acute infections in animal models and lead to more severe disease in humans infected with west Nile virus (WNV). In contrast, the role of the RANTES pathway in regulating T cell responses and immunity during chronic infection remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate a crucial role for RANTES in the control of systemic chronic LCMV infection. In RANTES⁻/⁻ mice, virus-specific CD8 T cells had poor cytokine

SUBMITTER: Crawford A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3141034 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature