title: NK cells and their ability to modulate T cells during virus infections.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are important in protection against virus infections, and many viruses have evolved mechanisms to thwart NK cell activity. NK cells respond to inflammatory signals at an early stage of virus infection, resulting in proliferation, cytokine production, and cytolytic activity that can reduce virus loads. Moreover, the rapid kinetics of the NK cell response enables NK cells to influence other populations of innate immune cells, affect the inflammatory milieu, and guide adaptive immune responses to infection. Early NK cell interactions with other leukocytes can have long-lasting effects on the number and quality of memory T cells, as well as impact the exhaustion of T cells during chronic infections. The ability of NK cells to modulate T cell responses can be mediated through direct T-NK interactions, cytokine production, or indirectly through dendritic cells and other cell types. Herein, we summarize our current understanding of how NK cells interact with T cells, dendritic cells, B cells, and other cell types involved in adaptive immune responses to virus infection. We outline several mechanisms by which NK cells enhance or suppress adaptive immune response and long-lived immunological memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7264, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Waggoner
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Genetics, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7264, USA.
authors.forename: Jason K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Whitmire
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D056747:Immunomodulation; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines