title: Maintaining CD4-CD8 lineage integrity in T cells: where plasticity serves versatility.
abstract: The divergence of the two αβ T cell subsets defined by the mutually exclusive expression of CD4 and CD8 glycoproteins is an important event during the intrathymic differentiation of T lymphocytes. This reviews briefly summarizes the mechanisms that promote commitment to the CD4 or CD8 lineage in the thymus, and discusses the transcription factor circuits and epigenetic mechanisms that concur to maintain lineage integrity in post-thymic cells and yet allow effector cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4259, USA.
authors.forename: Lie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Rémy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bosselut
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D006801:Humans