Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
Phenotypic and Functional Analysis of Activated Regulatory T Cells Isolated from Chronic Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus-infected Mice
Published on: June 22, 2016
Lack of functional TCR-epitope interaction is associated with herpes zoster through reduced downstream T cell
Marlies Boeren1, Nicky de Vrij2, My K Ha3
1Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Laboratory of Experimental Hematology (LEH), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Antwerp Center for Translational Immunology and Virology (ACTIV), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Antwerp Unit for Data Analysis and Computation in Immunology and Sequencing (AUDACIS), Antwerp, Belgium; Centre for Health Economics Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases (CHERMID), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Abstract:
The role of T cell receptor (TCR) diversity in infectious disease susceptibility is not well understood. We use a systems immunology approach on three cohorts of herpes zoster (HZ) patients and controls to investigate whether TCR diversity against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) influences the risk of HZ. We show that CD4+ T cell TCR diversity against VZV glycoprotein E (gE) and immediate early 63 protein (IE63) after 1-week culture is more restricted in HZ patients. Single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing of VZV-specific T cells shows that T cell activation pathways are significantly decreased after stimulation with VZV peptides in convalescent HZ patients. TCR clustering indicates that TCRs from HZ patients co-cluster more often together than TCRs from controls. Collectively, our results suggest that not only lower VZV-specific TCR diversity but also reduced functional TCR affinity for VZV-specific proteins in HZ patients leads to lower T cell activation and consequently affects the susceptibility for viral reactivation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:29Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
01:28Diversity of Antigen Receptors
Before encountering any antigen, lymphocytes express these receptors. On B cells, the antigen receptor is a membrane-bound antibody molecule called BCR; on T cells, it is a T cell receptor or TCR. B and T cell receptors are composed of two...
01:24B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
01:27Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...