Transcription in a Jurkat cell model of T cell memory. Homo sapiens

Adaptive immune responses to infection result in the formation of memory T cells that respond more rapidly and robustly to reinfections, providing the basis of the immunological memory targeted by vaccines. Underlying the enhanced responsiveness of memory cells is their ability to rapidly up-regulate the transcription of key effector genes at a higher level compared to naïve cells (termed transcriptional memory). While transcriptionally permissive histone modifications are known to provide chromatin structures that facilitate transcriptional memory, the molecular mechanisms that underpin this process still remain elusive. Here we investigate the transcriptional response of the Jurkat T cell line to stimulation with PMA and Ionomycin and determine if this response differs in cells that have seen stimuli previously. Overall design: 4 different treatments