Functional and Genomic Profiling of Effector CD8 T Cell Subsets

Using killer cell lectin-like receptor G1 as a marker to distinguish terminal effector cells from memory precursors, we found that despite their diverse cell fates both subsets possessed remarkably similar gene expression profiles and functioned as equally potent killer cells. However, only the memory precursors were capable of making IL-2 thus defining a novel effector cell that was cytotoxic, expressed granzyme B, and produced inflammatory cytokines in addition to IL-2. This effector population then differentiated into long-lived protective memory T cells capable of self-renewal and rapid re-call responses. Mechanistic studies showed that cells that continued to receive antigenic stimulation during the later stages of infection were more likely to become terminal effectors. Importantly, curtailing antigenic stimulation towards the tail-end of the acute infection enhanced the generation of memory cells. These studies support the decreasing potential model of memory differentiation and show that the duration of antigenic stimulation is a critical regulator of memory formation

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Sarkar S, Kalia V, Haining WN, Konieczny BT, Subramaniam S, Ahmed R