Infants (black lines) have more powerful T reg cells that suppress SIV-fighting CD4+ T cells.
T reg cells cool down virus-induced immune responses by suppressing activated T cells. It has been suggested that too much suppression allows HIV to get the upper hand. Others, however, have suggested that activated T cell suppression by T reg cells prevents inflammatory T cell cytokines from damaging tissues and thus enhancing disease.
Hartigan-O'Conner and colleagues now show that healthy infant monkeys have more—and more potent—T reg cells than do adult monkeys. When monkeys were infected with SIV—the primate version of HIV—most of the infants rapidly developed AIDS. Their T reg cells...
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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