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miRNA-31 regulates the CD8 T cell response to type I IFNs during chronic infection

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 15, pages 402–404 (2018)Cite this article

Type I IFNs are important cytokines with antiviral and regulatory functions. The antiviral properties of IFN-α are well established and successfully used in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer in humans. By contrast, the detrimental effects of chronic exposure to type I IFNs in chronic infections have been widely reported in animal models and HIV/SIV infection. Therefore, the blockade of this pathway has been explored as a potential therapeutic target.1,2

Differentiation and the acquisition of effector functions in CD8 T cells is the result of the integration of signals provided by the TCR and the inflammatory environment during infection. This process is orchestrated by key specific transcription factors.3 However, little is known about the mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation of CD8 T-cell differentiation. The emerging role of miRNAs in the regulation of CD8 T cells is the tip of an iceberg of these mechanisms in fine-tuning the integration of signals during CD8 T cell effector differentiation.4,5 CD8 T cells are critical players in immunity against viruses; however, in pathological conditions with the failure of viral control/elimination, CD8 T cells become ‘exhausted’. The post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms that lead to T-cell exhaustion during chronic infection are mostly unknown. A recent manuscript, Moffet et al.6 showed that miRNA-31 tunes the response to type I IFNs signaling in CD8 T cells. In the chronic viral infection setting, deletion of Mir31 in CD8 T cells altered the path to T-cell exhaustion and infection outcome.6

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Marta Catalfamo

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  1. Marta Catalfamo
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Correspondence to Marta Catalfamo.

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Catalfamo, M. miRNA-31 regulates the CD8 T cell response to type I IFNs during chronic infection. Cell Mol Immunol 15, 402–404 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2017.80

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