Herpes Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Herpes, including details on herpes simplex virus (hsv), genital, oral, symptoms, treatment.

Elucidating the protective and pathologic T cell species in the virus-induced corneal immunoinflammatory condition herpetic stromal keratitis.

Banerjee K, Biswas PS, Rouse BT

Comparative and Experimental Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0845, USA.

Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) results in postinfection with Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The pathogenesis involves tissue damage by the host immune system, classifying HSK as an immunopathological disease. The crucial disease orchestrating cells is thought to be the T lymphocytes. The present study elucidates pathogenic and protective T cell subsets involved in the development of HSK using the gBT mice, which possess a monoclonal population of CD8+ T cells reactive to a HSV immunodominant epitope. Results show that HSV-reactive CD8+ T cells enter infected corneas during the acute but not the chronic phase of the disease during which the predominant population is CD4+ T cells. Adoptive transfer experiments in T and B cell-deficient recombination-activating gene knockout mice revealed that HSV-reactive CD8+ T cells are capable of ocular virus clearance, possibly through a combination of corneal and peripheral nervous system antiviral effects, but are not involved in lesion development. CD4+ T cells of the virus-specific or nonspecific species emerged as the pathogenic T cells capable of precipitating disease. These observations have the potential to yield important treatment strategies by targeting specific cell types in HSK.

Published 30 December 2004 in J Leukoc Biol, 77(1): 24-32.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2010 Herpes Research Today. All Rights Reserved.