Role of Cytokines in the Development and Maintenance of Memory T Cells During Respiratory Viral Infection

Much progress has been made in understanding the relationship between cytokines, T cell development, and the maintenance of memory T cells by examining the immune response to respiratory viral infections. Most of these studies have examined the T cell response to viruses that cause acute infection of limited duration, and have focused on the interplay between cytokines and individual responses by T cell subsets. This reductionism approach has been useful to piece together the puzzle of the host-immune response to respiratory virus infection, and has added to the holistic view of the networks involved in homeostatic control of T cell development and maintenance. This review addresses aspects of T cell biology that constitute the response to respiratory viral infections.