Survival and division fate programs are preserved but retuned during the naive to memory CD8+ T-cell transition

Memory T cells are generated from naive precursors undergoing proliferation during the initial immune response. Both naive and memory T cells are maintained in a resting, quiescent state and respond to activation with a controlled proliferative burst and differentiation into effector cells. This similarity in the maintenance and response dynamics points to the preservation of key cellular fate programs; however, whether memory T cells have acquired intrinsic changes in these programs that may contribute to the enhanced immune protection in a recall response is not fully understood. Here we used a quantitative model-based analysis of proliferation and survival kinetics of in vitro-stimulated murine naive and memory CD8(+) T cells in response to homeostatic and activating signals to establish intrinsic similarities or differences within these cell types. We show that resting memory T cells display heightened sensitivity to homeostatic cytokines, responding to interleukin (IL)-2 in addition to IL-7 and IL-15. The proliferative response to alpha CD3 was equal in size and kinetics, demonstrating that memory T cells undergo the same controlled division burst and automated return to quiescence as naive T cells. However, perhaps surprisingly, we observed reduced expansion of alpha CD3-stimulated memory T cells in response to activating signals alpha CD28 and IL-2 compared with naive T cells. Overall, we demonstrate that although sensitivities to cytokine and costimulatory signals have shifted, fate programs regulating the scale of the division burst are conserved in memory T cells.

Automated summary

Memory T cells and naive T cells have similarities in maintenance and response dynamics, but may differ in cellular fate programs. Resting memory T cells show heightened sensitivity to homeostatic cytokines and undergo controlled proliferation and return to quiescence similar to naive T cells. However, memory T cells may have reduced expansion capacity in response to activating signals compared to naive T cells.