Transduction of <i>Batf</i> family members provides distinct functions to mouse CD8+ T cells

Members of the Batf family, including Batf, Batf2, and Batf3, play critical roles in various immune cell types. Several studies have suggested redundant functions, as they can compensate for each other's functions. Here, we show that transduction of Batf family members confers distinct functional characteristics on CD8+ T cells. Batf- and Batf2-transduced CD8+ T cells exhibited effector and memory-like phenotypes, respectively. Notably, Batf3-transduced CD8+ T cells showed both effector- and memory-like phenotypes in response to effector- and memory-associated cytokines, respectively, and superior anti-tumor activity in vivo among Batf family members. Our results demonstrated that each Batf family member has distinct functions in CD8+ T cells. These findings help us understand the roles of the Batf family members in CD8+ T cells and contribute to the development of optimized adoptive T cell therapies against cancer.