The long-term maintenance of memory T cells is essential for successful vaccines. Both the quantity and the quality of the memory T-cell population must be maintained. The signals that control the maintenance of memory T cells remain incompletely identified. Here we used two genetic models to show that continuous transforming growth factor-β signaling to antigen-specific T cells is required for the differentiation and maintenance of memory CD8(+) T cells. In addition, both infection-induced and microbiota-induced inflammation impact the phenotypic and functional identity of memory CD8(+) T cells.
Keywords: CD8+; TGF-β; acute infection; memory T cell.