title: Functionally diverse subsets in CD4 T cell responses against influenza.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antibody alone cannot provide optimal protection against many infectious diseases impacting global heath. In these cases, our challenge is to develop innovative vaccines that generate protective populations of memory T cells. However, our studies suggest that current paradigms explaining how memory CD4 T cells provide protection are inadequate. This is likely due to both the paucity of and heterogeneity of memory CD4 T cells observed in vivo, which make analysis extremely difficult.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Here, we discuss new findings that indicate there is extensive functional heterogeneity within effector and memory CD4 T cell populations both in vivo and in vitro. Using influenza as an example, we also discuss the merits of employing reductionist approaches to explore how unique subsets of CD4 T cells are generated, what mechanisms of protection they use, and where they stand on the axes of differentiation that define T cell subsets.
authors.affiliation: Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, NY 12983, USA. tstrutt@trudeauinstitute.org
authors.forename: Tara M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Strutt
authors.forename: K Kai
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: McKinstry
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Swain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007252:Influenza Vaccines