NIH R01 · 2025
The role of γδ T cells in fetal and infant immune defense against malaria
T cells expressing the γδ TCR are the first to develop during human gestation and possess many features that make them uniquely suited to protection of the fetus and infant. Unlike conventional αβ T cells, γδ T cells recognize non-peptide antigens and can exhibit rapid, innate-like effector functions that are not dependent on prior antigen exposure nor on priming by dendritic cells, which are functionally immature in early life. A subset of γδ T cells (Vγ9Vδ2) respond to phosphoantigens produced by Plasmodium falciparum via a unique mode of presentation by ubiquitously expressed butyrophilin molecules. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells inhibit parasite replication in vitro and are associated with protection…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.