Natural genetic variation reveals key features of epigenetic and transcriptional memory in virus-specific CD8 T cells

Stable changes in chromatin states and gene expression in cells of the immune system form the basis for their memory of infections and other challenges. We used naturally occurring cis-regulatory variation in wild-derived inbred mouse strains to explore the mechanisms underlying long-lasting vs. transient gene regulation in antigen-specific CD8 T cells responding to acute viral infection. Our observations provide novel insights into the mechanisms driving stable and reversible transcriptional and epigenetic memory in virus-specific CD8 T cells. These findings suggest a general mechanism for the formation of epigenetic memory in CD8 T cells and other immune and non-immune cells. The project studied the chromatin accessibility and gene transcription of CD8+ T cell in response to viral infection. 70 samples were analysed in total, including 22 ATAC-Seq, 29 RNA-Seq, 18 ChIP-Seq and 1 single cell RNA-Seq samples.