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Decoding Functional Plasticity of γδ T Cells in Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Feileyang Xie1, Qingyuan Cheng2,3, Liman Li4
1State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Background:
Mosquito‑borne diseases (MBDs), caused by pathogens including dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and "Plasmodium" species, pose a major global health threat with limited effective interventions. As a distinctive T‑cell subset, γδ T cells exert crucial immunoregulatory functions during infection owing to their unique tissue distribution and functional plasticity, yet their roles in MBDs remain incompletely understood.
Objectives:
This review summarizes the immunoregulatory mechanisms of γδ T cells in MBDs and discusses their potential as immunotherapeutic targets.
Methods:
A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed using keywords such as "γδ T cells", "Plasmodium", "dengue virus" and "Zika virus". Relevant publications up to March 2026 were comprehensively reviewed.
Results:
γδ T cells display dual protective and pathogenic effects across MBDs. They mainly confer protection against Plasmodium and CHIKV infections, while drive pathological responses in DENV and ZIKV infections. In WNV infection, γδ T cells activate immune cells and simultaneously induce blood‑brain barrier damage.
Conclusions:
γδ T cells exert multifaceted functions in MBDs. Elucidating their functional plasticity may provide insights for developing targeted immunotherapies against MBDs.
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