Authors:
Josh Crouse, Gregor Bedenikovic, Melanie Wiesel, Mark Ibberson, Ioannis Xenarios, Dorothee Von Laer, Ulrich Kalinke, Eric Vivier, Stipan Jonjic, & Annette Oxenius
Summary:
Direct type I interferon (IFN) signaling on T cells is necessary for the proper expansion, differentiation, and survival of responding T cells following infection with viruses prominently inducing type I IFN. The reasons for the abortive response of T cells lacking the type I IFN receptor (Ifnar1−/−) remain unclear. We report here that Ifnar1−/− T cells were highly susceptible to natural killer (NK) cell-mediated killing in a perforin-dependent manner. Depletion of NK cells prior to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection completely restored the early expansion of Ifnar1−/− T cells. Ifnar1−/− T cells had elevated expression of natural cytotoxicity triggering receptor 1 (NCR1) ligands upon infection, rendering them targets for NCR1 mediated NK cell attack. Thus, direct sensing of type I IFNs by T cells protects them from NK cell killing by regulating the expression of NCR1 ligands, thereby revealing a mechanism by which T cells can evade the potent cytotoxic activity of NK cells.
Source:
Immunity; Vol. 40, Issue 6, 961-973 (06/19/14)