CD8+ T-cell memory bears the transcriptional imprint of progressive differentiation. Mus musculus

The generation of CD8+ T-cell memory is an important aim of immunization. While several distinct subsets of CD8+ T-cell memory have been described, the lineage relationships between effector (EFF), effector memory (EM) and central memory (CM) T cells remain contentious. Specifically, there is contradictory experimental evidence to support both the linear (Naive>EFF>EM>CM) and progressive differentiation (Naive>CM>EM>EFF) models. In this study, we applied a systems biology approach to examine global transcriptional relationships between the three major CD8+ T cell subsets arising endogenously as a result of vaccination with three different prime-boost vaccine regimens. Differential gene expression analysis and principle component analysis revealed that central memory cells were more closely related to naive T cells than both effector memory and effector cells. When the transcriptional relationships between subsets were enriched in an unbiased fashion with known global transcriptional changes that result when T-cells repeatedly encounter antigen, our analysis favored a model whereby cumulative antigenic stimulation drives differentiation specifically from Naive > CM > EM > EFF. These findings provide an insight into the lineage relationship between mature CD8+ T-cell subsets and will help in the rational design of vaccines aimed at generating effective immune responses against infections and cancer. Overall design: Effector (EFF), effector memory (EM), central memory (CM) and naive CD8+ T cells from mice spleen. Memory subset arise endogenously as a result of vaccination with three different prime-boost vaccine regimens: DNA-rAd5, rAd5-rAd5 and rAd5-rLCMV.