title: The role of interleukin-2 in memory CD8 cell differentiation.
abstract: The current literature on the role of interleukin (IL)-2 in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation indicates a significant contribution of IL-2 during primary and also secondary expansion of CD8+ T cells. IL-2 seems to be responsible for optimal expansion and generation of effector functions following primary antigenic challenge. As the magnitude of T-cell expansion determines the numbers of memory CD8+ T cells surviving after pathogen elimination, these event influence memory cell generation. Moreover, during the contraction phase of an immune respons where most antigen-specific CD8+ T cells disappear by apoptosis, IL-2 signals are able to rescu CD8+ T cells from cell death and provide a durable increase in memory CD8+ T-cell counts. At the memory stage, CD8+ T-cell frequencies can be boosted by administration of exogenous IL-2 Significantly, only CD8+ T cells that have received IL-2 signals during initial priming are able t mediate efficient secondary expansion following renewed antigenic challenge. Thus, IL-2 signals during different phases of an immune response are key in optimizing CD8+ T-cell functions, thereby affecting both primary and secondary responses of these T cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology and Allergy, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. onur.boyman@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Onur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boyman
authors.forename: Jae-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sprent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D038041:Lymphopoiesis; D051379:Mice; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2