Nociceptive sensory neurons promote CD8 T cell responses to HSV-1 infection

Jessica Filtjens (1) , Anais Roger (1) , Linda Quatrini (1, 2) , Elisabeth Wieduwild (1) , Jordi Gouilly (1) , Guillaume Hoeffel (1) , Rafaëlle Rossignol (1) , Clara Daher (1, 3) , Guilhaume Debroas (1) , Sandrine Henri (1) , Claerwen M Jones (4) , Bernard Malissen (1) , Laura K Mackay (4) , Aziz Moqrich (5) , Francis R Carbone (4) , Sophie Ugolini (1)

1 CIML - Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille - Luminy
2 IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù = Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital
3 IC UM3 (UMR 8104 / U1016) - Institut Cochin
4 The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity [Melbourne]
5 IBDM - Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille

Host protection against cutaneous herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection relies on the induction of a robust adaptive immune response. Here, we show that Nav 1.8 + sensory neurons, which are involved in pain perception, control the magnitude of CD8 T cell priming and expansion in HSV-1-infected mice. The ablation of Nav 1.8-expressing sensory neurons is associated with extensive skin lesions characterized by enhanced inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production. Mechanistically, Nav 1.8 + sensory neurons are required for the downregulation of neutrophil infiltration in the skin after viral clearance to limit the severity of tissue damage and restore skin homeostasis, as well as for eliciting robust CD8 T cell priming in skin-draining lymph nodes by controlling dendritic cell responses. Collectively, our data reveal an important role for the sensory nervous system in regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses to viral infection, thereby opening up possibilities for new therapeutic strategies.

Mots clés: Antimicrobial responses; CD8-positive T cells; Neuroimmunology; Sensory processing

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Jessica Filtjens, Anais Roger, Linda Quatrini, Elisabeth Wieduwild, Jordi Gouilly, et al.. Nociceptive sensory neurons promote CD8 T cell responses to HSV-1 infection. Nature Communications, 2021, 12 (1), ⟨10.1038/s41467-021-22841-6⟩. ⟨hal-03406154⟩