Shaping Successful and Unsuccessful CD8 T Cell Responses Following Infection

Figure 3

Expression of transcription factors in CD8 T cells is positively or negatively correlated with an inflammatory environment. Prototypic CD8 T cell responses that are induced following acute infection undergo three distinct phases: expansion, contraction, and the establishment of memory. Each of these phases is associated with shifts in the patterns of transcription factors expressed by the responding cells. Expression of T-bet and Blimp-1 correlates positively with inflammatory conditions, and their expression is reduced as the infection becomes resolved, and the memory pool develops. In contrast, Eomesodermin and Bcl-6 begin to be expressed as the infection is brought under control and exhibit highest expression in memory cells.