Re: How does a suppressor cell count virus?

There are several ways in which an immune response is turned off.  First, if 
T cells are activated repeatedly, when virus is present, the T cells begin 
to express a suicide protein on the cell surface.  The suicide protein 
interacts with its ligand on another cell and that causes the cell to die.  
Second, when the virus has been cleared, the T cells are no longer activated 
to produce lymphokines.  The activated T cells "starve" to death without the 
lymphokines.  Third, some researchers have found T cells which actively 
suppress the activated T cells.

Exactly how these different pathways interact and mediate the suppression of 
an immune response is unknown, but is actively being researched.


Thank you for your question.