T Cell Immunity in Emerging Respiratory Viral Infections: Mechanisms, Dysregulation, and Therapeutic Targets
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 443
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pathogenesis of respiratory virus-related symptoms and age-related immune dysregulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Coronavirus, influenza virus and other emerging respiratory virus infections induce activation of acute and chronic immune responses, to which T cells—both innate (such as gamma delta T cells, NK T cells and ILCs) and adaptive (alpha/beta T cells) subsets—make indispensable contributions. T cell-mediated protective effects can be realized by secreting anti-viral cytokines or immune cell-recruiting chemokines, killing infected cells, as well as regulating inflammation caused by infection. Compared to virus-specific antibodies, virus-specific T cells recognize conserved epitopes of viruses, thus favoring the elimination and control of immune-escaping variants, such as SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Despite intensive interest in identifying virus-specific T cells and their contributions to disease prevention and control, the mechanisms underlying the generation, regulation and maintenance of coronavirus-induced T cell responses remain to be further clarified. On the other hand, dysregulated T cell-mediated responses may lead to excessive tissue damage and represent potential targets for treating immunopathology caused by coronavirus infection, especially in highly susceptible populations, such as the elderly and those with co-morbidities. Finally, severe respiratory viral infections, especially SARS-CoV-2, have been found to cause T cell lymphopenia and dysfunction, which serve as important indicators for predicting disease prognosis and therapeutic targets in both human patients and animal models. Clarifying the role of T cells and their effects during both the acute and chronic phases of respiratory viral infection is urgently needed to develop next-generation strategies to prevent and treat virus-associated respiratory diseases.
Dr. Jian Zheng
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- T cell
- coronavirus
- immune memory
- immunopathogenesis
- aging
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