Cytotoxic CD8⁺ Temra cells show loss of chromatin accessibility at genes associated with T cell activation.

ABSTRACT: As humans age, their memory T cell compartment expands due to the lifelong exposure to antigens. This expansion is characterized by terminally differentiated CD8⁺ T cells (Temra), which possess NK cell-like phenotype and are associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. Temra cells are predominantly driven by the sporadic reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV), yet their epigenomic patterns and cellular heterogeneity remain understudied. To address this gap, we correlated their gene expression profiles with chromatin openness and conducted single-cell transcriptome analysis, comparing them to other CD8⁺ subsets and CMV-responses. We confirmed that Temra cells exhibit high expression of genes associated with cytotoxicity and lower expression of costimulatory and chem

SUBMITTER: Turk L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10870784 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature