title: Cytolytic CD4(+) T cells in viral immunity.
abstract: It is generally believed that the role of CD4(+) T cells is to coordinate the different arms of the adaptive immune system to shape an effective response against a pathogen and regulate nonessential or deleterious activities. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that effector CD4(+) T cells can directly display potent antiviral activity themselves. The presence of cytolytic CD4(+) T cells has been demonstrated in the immune response to numerous viral infections in both humans and in animal models and it is likely that they play a critical role in the control of viral replication in vivo. This article describes the current research on virus-specific cytolytic CD4(+) T cells, with a focus on HIV-1 infection and the implications that this immune response has for vaccine design.
authors.affiliation: Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Building 149, 13th Street, 5th floor, #5217, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Damien Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Soghoian
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Streeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*