Decoding the fate of patrolling CD8+ T effector cells 9262

Abstract Description T cell function is tightly regulated to mount an effective immune response during acute viral infections. Effector cells at various stages of differentiation work together in a division of labor to provide systemic protection. In this regard, our previous research identified a subset of CD8+ effector cells that express high levels of CX3CR1 and predominantly remain within the intravascular space for endothelial immune surveillance. Understanding how the interaction with the endothelium might shape the fate of the intravascular patrolling CD8+ T effector cells is critical. However, this process remains poorly understood due to the difficulty distinguishing these endothelium-interacting cells from other blood-borne effectors with seemingly similar phenotypes. To address this challenge, we have developed two innovative approaches to reliably label the patrolling effectors by means of either in situphotoconversion or exosome-based tagging. These methods have enabled us to isolate endothelium-interacting T cells and conduct transcriptional and epigenetic analyses that will provide insights into the signals and subsequent changes that T cells undergo while monitoring endothelium for infection. Funding Sources Award number R01AI155865-05 Topic Categories Technological Innovations in Immunology (TECH)