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Updated: May 17, 2026

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Endocervical Gamma Delta T Cells
Published on: February 6, 2017
γδ-T cells: an unpolished sword in human anti-infection immunity
Jian Zheng1, Yinping Liu, Yu-Lung Lau
1Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract:
γδ-T cells represent a small population of immune cells, but play an indispensable role in host defenses against exogenous pathogens, immune surveillance of endogenous pathogenesis and even homeostasis of the immune system. Activation and expansion of γδ-T cells are generally observed in diverse human infectious diseases and correlate with their progression and prognosis. γδ-T cells have both 'innate' and 'adaptive' characteristics in the immune response, and their anti-infection activities are mediated by multiple pathways that are under elaborate regulation by other immune components. In this review, we summarize the current state of the literature and the recent advancements in γδ-T cell-mediated immune responses against common human infectious pathogens. Although further investigation is needed to improve our understanding of the characteristics of different γδ-T cell subpopulations under specific conditions, γδ-T cell-based therapy has great potential for the treatment of infectious diseases.
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