The processes and mechanisms of virus infection fate decisions that are the result of a dynamic virus-immune system interaction with either an efficient effector response and virus elimination or an alleviated immune response and chronic infection are poorly understood. Here, we characterized the host response to acute and chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infections by gene coexpression network analysis of time-resolved splenic transcriptomes. First, we found an early attenuation of inflammatory monocyte/macrophage prior to the onset of T cell exhaustion, and second, a critical role of the XCL1-XCR1 communication axis during the functional adaptation of the T cell response to the chronic infection state. These findings not only reveal an important feedback mechanism that couples T cell exhaustion with the maintenance of a lower level of effector T cell response but also suggest therapy options to better control virus levels during the chronic infection phase.

中文翻译：

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系统分析揭示了病毒感染命运决定过程中的复杂生物过程。

病毒感染命运决定的过程和机制是动态的病毒-免疫系统与有效的效应子反应和病毒消除或缓解的免疫反应和慢性感染相互作用的结果，人们对此知之甚少。在这里，我们通过时间分辨的脾转录组的基因共表达网络分析来表征宿主对急性和慢性淋巴细胞性脑膜炎病毒（LCMV）感染的反应。首先，我们发现在T细胞衰竭之前，炎症性单核细胞/巨噬细胞会早日减弱，其次，XCL1-XCR1通讯轴在T细胞对慢性感染状态的功能适应过程中起着至关重要的作用。