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. 2020 Apr;33(3):188-196.
doi: 10.1089/vim.2019.0173.

Recognition of Apoptotic Cells by Viruses and Cytolytic Lymphocytes: Target Selection in the Fog of War

David Schwartz  1 , Sujatha Iyengar  1
Affiliations

Recognition of Apoptotic Cells by Viruses and Cytolytic Lymphocytes: Target Selection in the Fog of War

David Schwartz et al. Viral Immunol. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Viruses and cytolytic lymphocytes operate in an environment filled with dying and dead cells, and cell fragments. For viruses, irreversible fusion with doomed cells is suicide. For cytotoxic T lymphocyte and natural killer cells, time and limited lytic resources spent on apoptotic targets is wasteful and may result in death of the host. We make the case that the target membrane cytoskeleton is the best source of information regarding the suitability of potential targets for engagement for both viruses and lytic effector cells, and we present experimental evidence for detection of apoptotic cells by HIV, without loss of infectivity.

Keywords: CTL; HIV; NK; apoptotic; cytoskeleton; lytic synapse.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Apoptotic cells (red stained for PS) fail to co-cap green stained CXCR4 at 15 (A), 30 (B), 60 (C), or 90 (D) minutes, whereas non-apoptotic (green only) cells show progressively increased and localized capping over the same 90 minute time period.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
HIV bound to apoptotic cells is not internalized and remains infectious.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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