The alarmin interleukin-33 promotes the expansion and preserves the stemness of Tcf-1+ CD8 T cells in chronic viral infection (RNA-Seq I)

T-cell factor 1 (Tcf-1) expressing CD8 T cells exhibit stem-like self-renewing capacity rendering them key for immune defense against chronic viral infection and cancer. Yet, the signals that promote the formation and maintenance of these memory-like CD8 T cell (CD8ML) remain poorly defined. Studying CD8 T cell differentiation in mice with chronic viral infection we identify the alarmin interleukin-33 (IL-33) as pivotal for the expansion and stem-like functioning of CD8ML as well as for virus control. IL-33 receptor- (ST2-) deficient CD8 T cells exhibit biased end-differentiation and premature loss of Tcf-1. Intriguingly, ST2-deficient CD8ML responses are restored by blockade of type I interferon signaling, suggesting that opposing IFN-I and IL-33 effects control CD8ML formation in chronic infection. IL-33 signals broadly augment chromatin accessibility in CD8ML and determine these cells’ re-expansion potential. Our study identifies the IL-33 – ST2 axis as an important CD8ML-promoting pathway in the context of chronic viral infection. RNA expression profile of Tcf7gfp pos and Tcf7gfp neg WT/ST2ko P14 T cells on day 4 after LCMV Cl13 high dose infection.