Antiviral CD8⁺T-cell immune responses are impaired by cigarette smoke and in COPD

Abstract

Our data indicate that cigarette smoke interferes with MHC class I antigen generation and presentation and thereby contributes to impaired activation of CD8⁺ T-cells upon virus infection. This adds important mechanistic insight on how cigarette smoke mediates increased susceptibility of smokers and COPD patients to viral infections.