Billerbeck Eva, Thimme Robert
Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiberg, Germany.
Hum Immunol. 2008 Nov;69(11):771-5. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2008.07.016. Epub 2008 Nov 12.
Regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells) play an important role in the regulation and suppression of immune responses to self- and foreign antigens. Suppressed and impaired host immune responses are a major characteristic of many persistent human virus infections, such as those caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and herpes virus. It has recently become evident that immune regulation mediated by T(reg) cells may comprise one mechanism that contributes to the impairment of virus-specific immune responses. Indeed, during viral infection, the generation of distinct subsets of CD4+ as well as CD8+ T(reg) cells has been reported. The phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of T(reg) cell subsets involved in the suppression of virus-specific immune responses suggests that different mechanisms and factors contribute to the generation of those cells during viral infection. This review focuses on the CD8+ T(reg) cell subset and summarizes current knowledge about the induction and function of CD8+ T(reg) cells in persistent human virus infections.
调节性T细胞（T(reg)细胞）在对自身和外来抗原的免疫反应调节和抑制中发挥着重要作用。宿主免疫反应受到抑制和损害是许多持续性人类病毒感染的主要特征，例如由人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）、丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）和疱疹病毒引起的感染。最近已变得明显的是，由T(reg)细胞介导的免疫调节可能构成导致病毒特异性免疫反应受损的一种机制。事实上，在病毒感染期间，已报道产生了不同亚群的CD4+以及CD8+ T(reg)细胞。参与抑制病毒特异性免疫反应的T(reg)细胞亚群的表型和功能异质性表明，在病毒感染期间，不同的机制和因素促成了这些细胞的产生。本综述聚焦于CD8+ T(reg)细胞亚群，并总结了关于持续性人类病毒感染中CD8+ T(reg)细胞的诱导和功能的当前知识。
