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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Measuring Mitochondrial Function of Naïve and Effector CD8 T Cells
Published on: March 28, 2025
Operation of mitochondrial machinery in viral infection-induced immune responses
Jenn-Haung Lai1, Shue-Fen Luo2, Ling-Jun Ho3
1Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, ROC; Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Abstract:
Mitochondria have been recognized as ancient bacteria that contain evolutionary endosymbionts. Metabolic pathways and inflammatory signals interact within mitochondria in response to different stresses, such as viral infections. In this commentary, we address several interesting questions, including (1) how do mitochondrial machineries participate in immune responses; (2) how do mitochondria mediate antiviral immunity; (3) what mechanisms involved in mitochondrial machinery, including the downregulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), disturbances of mitochondrial dynamics, and the induction of mitophagy and regulation of apoptosis, have been adopted by viruses to evade antiviral immunity; (4) what mechanisms involve the regulation of mitochondrial machineries in antiviral therapeutics; and (5) what are the potential challenges and perspectives in developing mitochondria-targeting antiviral treatments? This commentary provides a comprehensive review of the roles and mechanisms of mitochondrial machineries in immunity, viral infections and related antiviral therapeutics.
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