Retinoic acid and TGF-β orchestrate organ-specific programs of tissue-residency

Tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells are integral to tissue immunity, persisting in diverse anatomical sites where they adhere to a common transcriptional framework. How these cells integrate distinct local cues to adopt the common TRM cell fate remains poorly understood. Here, we show that while skin TRM cells strictly require TGF-β for tissue residency, those in other locations utilize the metabolite retinoic acid (RA) to drive an alternative differentiation pathway, directing a TGF-β-independent tissue residency program in the liver and synergizing with TGF-β to drive the TRM cells in the small intestine. OT-I WT and OT-I Tbx21-/- cells were co-transferred into LCMV-OVA infected mice and isolated from the SI for ATAC sequencing 8 days post LCMV-OVA infection.