Fate trajectories of CD8+ T cells in chronic LCMV infection

In chronic infections CD8+ T cells acquire a state termed “exhaustion” which is characterized by impaired effector functions and expression of co-inhibitory receptors as response to continuous TCR stimulation. Recently, the pool of exhausted T cells has been shown to harbor multiple functionally distinct populations with memory-like and effector-like features, though differentiation and lineage relations between these are unclear. In this work we present a comprehensive scRNAseq time-series analysis from beginning of infection to established exhaustion in CD8 T cells. We apply lineage inference using informed cell transitions derived from RNA velocity to identify differential start and end states and connections between them. We identify a branch region early during chronic infection where pre-committed cells separate into an exhausted and a memory-like lineage and discovered molecular markers demarcating this branch event. Adoptive transfer experiments confirmed fate-commitment of cells only after this branch point. We additionally linked the progression along developmental lineages to antigenic TCR stimulation.