In a review in Trends in Parasitology, the lab synthesizes how human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells detect intracellular parasites. These cells recognize phosphoantigens that accumulate inside infected cells, through cooperation of the butyrophilins BTN3A1 and BTN2A1, and respond with rapid cytotoxicity and interferon-γ.
The review focuses on Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii and discusses how these sensing mechanisms might be harnessed for antiparasitic therapies and vaccine design.
Read the paper: Sensing the enemy within: Vγ9Vδ2 T cells as metabolic sensors of intracellular parasites. Trends Parasitol 2026.