Abstract
Viral infectious diseases are a significant burden on public health and the global economy, and new viral threats emerge continuously. Since CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses are essential to eliminating viruses, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms of anti-viral T cell-mediated immunopathogenesis during viral infections. Remarkable progress in transgenic (Tg) techniques has enabled scientists to more readily understand the mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. T cell receptor (TCR) Tg mice are extremely useful in studying T cell-mediated immune responses because the majority of T cells in these mice express specific TCRs for partner antigens. In this review, we discuss the important studies utilizing TCR Tg mice to unveil underlying mechanisms of T cell-mediated immunopathogenesis during viral infections.
Highlights
Despite advancements in vaccine and antiviral drug development, viral infections still cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans
The hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cell receptor (TCR) Tg mouse model could help to identify underlying mechanisms of how CD8+ T cell exhaustion is caused by HBV, which can lead to the development of therapy for chronic viral infection and perhaps other persistent viral infections as well
Since the MCMV mouse infection model has been used to understand pathogenesis caused by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, studies with these TCR Tg mice would improve our understanding of T cell-mediated immune response and pathogenesis to develop the vaccine for HCMV
Summary
Despite advancements in vaccine and antiviral drug development, viral infections still cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans. In addition to the recent emergence of Zika virus, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, viruses including influenza virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continue to threaten human health. To counter these diseases, a fundamental understanding of viral pathogenesis is critical. Due to large T cell receptor (TCR) diversity (1 × 1013), complete and precise analyses of viral antigen-specific T-cell responses are almost impossible. To overcome this limitation, transgenic (Tg) mice with high frequencies of particular TCRs are generated. We focus on the contribution of TCR Tg mice in revealing underlying immunopathological mechanisms of viral infections
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
