Defining the molecular blueprint that drives CD8 T cell differentiation in response to infection

Abstract

A cardinal feature of adaptive, cytotoxicT lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated immunity is the ability of naïve CTLs to undergo a program of differentiation and proliferation upon activation resulting in the acquisition of lineage-specific T cell functions and eventual establishment of immunological memory. In this review, we examine the molecular factors that shape both the acquisition and maintenance of lineage-specific effector function in virus-specific CTL during both the effector and memory phases of immunity. © 2012 Russ, Denton, Hat-ton, Croom, Olson and Turner.