Control of Effector CD8+ T Cell Function by the Transcription Factor Eomesodermin

EL Pearce, AC Mullen, GA Martins, CM Krawczyk… - Science, 2003 - science.org
EL Pearce, AC Mullen, GA Martins, CM Krawczyk, AS Hutchins, VP Zediak, M Banica…
Science, 2003science.org
Activated CD8+ T cells play a critical role in host defense against viruses, intracellular
microbes, and tumors. It is not clear if a key regulatory transcription factor unites the effector
functions of CD8+ T cells. We now show that Eomesodermin (Eomes), a paralogue of T-bet,
is induced in effector CD8+ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of Eomes was
sufficient to invoke attributes of effector CD8+ T cells, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), perforin,
and granzyme B. Loss-of-function analysis suggests Eomes may also be necessary for full …
Activated CD8+ T cells play a critical role in host defense against viruses, intracellular microbes, and tumors. It is not clear if a key regulatory transcription factor unites the effector functions of CD8+ T cells. We now show that Eomesodermin (Eomes), a paralogue of T-bet, is induced in effector CD8+ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of Eomes was sufficient to invoke attributes of effector CD8+ T cells, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), perforin, and granzyme B. Loss-of-function analysis suggests Eomes may also be necessary for full effector differentiation of CD8+ T cells. We suggest that Eomesodermin is likely to complement the actions of T-bet and act as a key regulatory gene in the development of cell-mediated immunity.
AAAS