The Regulation and Maturation of Antiviral Immune Responses

Evolutionary pressures imposed by an unremitting onslaught of infectious agents have shaped the mammalian immune system, and our very existence stands as proof of the potency of the antimicrobial immune response. The cooperative nature of the antibody and T cell arms of the adaptive immune system has long been recognized, but our understanding of the immune response to infection remains far from complete. Recent studies have begun to reveal previously unappreciated subtleties in the T cell response, which are tailored to most effectively detect a viral challenge and to provide a rapid and effective reply. If safer and more effective vaccines are to be designed, and if the harmful effects of the immune response are to be diminished while retaining beneficial components, we must not rest on our laurels; many important questions remain to be answered.