Lymphocyte-stromal cell interactions during neurotropic viral infections

Despite the need to restrict inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), several viruses establish an infection and latent reservoir in the nervous system, requiring persistent immune surveillance. Emerging evidence suggests that memory lymphocytes are retained in the brain, however the cellular and molecular cues mediating their local retention and activation remain unclear. During the priming of adaptive immune responses in secondary lymphoid organs, fibroblastic stromal cells orchestrate discrete niches that support efficient lymphocyte activation and differentiation. Immune-interacting fibroblasts are also activated during acute neurotropic viral infections and in neuroinflammatory autoimmune disease. The role of CNS-resident stromal cells in orchestrating key processes such as immune surveillance remains ill-defined, and is being assessed in this project.