Transcriptional control of effector and memory CD8+ T cell differentiation.
During an infection, T cells can differentiate into multiple types of effector and memory T cells, which help to mediate pathogen clearance and provide long-term protective immunity. These cells can vary in their phenotype, function and location, and in their long-term fate in terms of their ability to populate the memory T cell pool. Over the past decade, the signalling pathways and transcriptional programmes that regulate the formation of heterogeneous populations of effector and memory CD8(+) T cells have started to be characterized, and this Review discusses the major advances in these areas.
Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. susan.kaech@yale.edu
Susan M
SM
Kaech
Weiguo
W
Cui
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic