title: Lineage relationship of effector and memory T cells.
abstract: Adaptive immunity is characterized by the ability to form long-lived immunological memory. Upon re-exposure to antigen, memory T cells respond more rapidly and robustly than naïve T cells, providing better clearance of pathogens. Recent reviews have reinforced the text-book view that memory T cells arise from effector cells. Although this notion is teleologically appealing, emerging data are more consistent with a model where naïve cells directly develop into memory cells without transitioning through an effector stage. A clear understanding of the lineage relationships between memory and effector cells has profound implications for the design of vaccines and for the development of effective T cell-based therapies.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: restifo@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Restifo
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gattinoni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D018448:Models, Immunological; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*