Surviving the crash: transitioning from effector to memory CD8+ T cell.
One outcome of infection is the formation of long-lived immunological memory, which provides durable protection from symptomatic re-infection. In response to infection or vaccination, T cells undergo dramatic proliferation and differentiate into effector T cells that mediate removal of the pathogen. Following pathogen clearance, the majority of effector cells die, restoring lymphocyte homeostasis. However, a small number of antigen-specific cells survive and seed the memory T cell population. Here, we focus on recent advances in identifying the key proteins and transcription factors that allow a portion of effector CD8(+) T cells to persist after contraction of the immune response, forming a memory cell population programmed for long-term self-renewal and survival. We also examine new findings addressing the role of environmental cues such as cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules in CD8(+) memory T cell formation and how the cell-extrinsic cues influence the molecular players of intracellular pathways important for memory formation.
D'Cruz
Louise M
LM
University of California San Diego, Division of Biological Sciences, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0377, United States.
Rubinstein
Mark P
MP
Goldrath
Ananda W
AW
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D051797:Inhibitor of Differentiation Protein 2 / Q000276:immunology; D000074462:Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
C084103:BCL6 protein, human; D016207:Cytokines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C491199:EOMES protein, human; C497450:ID2 protein, human; D051797:Inhibitor of Differentiation Protein 2; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; C087042:PRDM1 protein, human; D000074462:Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1