Abstract
Poxviruses are experts at manipulating and evading the host's immune response. They have acquired a number of open reading frames which specifically confer direct anti-immune properties, either by mimicking cytokine receptors and growth factors or by disarming cytokine regulatory cascades. The Myxoma T2 protein (M-T2), a TNF receptor homologue, is secreted from virus infected cells and can bind TNF-α with high affinity, and thereby inhibit TNF-α-mediated cytotoxicity. M-T2 also acts to inhibit virus-induced lymphocyte apoptosis by an as yet undefined mechanism. As such, T2 constitutes a significant virulence factor for poxviruses, influencing the outcome of infection, both in vitro and in vivo.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 538-545 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Immunology and Cell Biology |
Volume | 74 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1996 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- TNF
- TNF receptor superfamily
- apoptosis
- immune modifiers
- poxvirus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Cell Biology