The smallest unit: effector and memory CD8+ T cell differentiation on the single cell level

The smallest unit: effector and memory CD8+ T cell differentiation on the single cell level

CD8(+) T cell immune responses provide immediate protection against primary infection and durable memory capable of rapidly fighting off re-infection. Immediate protection and lasting memory are implemented by phenotypically and functionally distinct T cell subsets. While it is now widely accepted that these diverge from a common source of naïve T cells (T(n)), the developmental relation and su...

Notch controls effector CD8+ T cell differentiation

CD8+ T cell recognition of foreign antigen induces the expansion of the few T cells bearing an appropriate T cell receptor and the acquisition of effector functions. These effector CD8+ T (Te) cells eliminate the pathogen by secretion of cytokines or by direct cytotoxicity. Following this initial clonal expansion, 90-95% of the Te cells die while the few others further differentiate into memory...

SnapShot: Effector and Memory T Cell Differentiation

Heterogeneity and cell-fate decisions in effector and memory CD8+ T cell differentiation during viral infection.

Heterogeneity is a hallmark of the adaptive immune system. This is most evident in the enormous diversity of B and T cell antigen receptors. There is also heterogeneity within antiviral T cell populations, and subsets of effector and memory T cells now permeate our thinking about specialization of T cell responses to pathogens. It has been less clear, however, how heterogeneity in developing vi...

MicroRNA miR-155 affects antiviral effector and effector Memory CD8 T cell differentiation.

MicroRNAs are key regulators of the immune response, but their role in CD8 T cell differentiation in vivo is not known. We show that miR-155 is important in both effector and memory antiviral CD8 T cell responses. Without miR-155, there was a weaker effector response and a skewing toward memory precursor cells. At the memory stage, miR-155-deficient CD8 T cells preferentially differentiated int...