Central memory T cells with key TCR repertoires and gene expression profiles dominate influenza CD8+ T cell pools across the human lifespan.

ABSTRACT: Central memory CD8⁺ T cells (T_cm) represent the prominent memory T cell subset in human blood, yet the persistence of T cell receptor (TCR) clonotypic and transcriptional features of epitope-specific T_cm pools across the human lifespan remains unknown. We analyzed T_cm CD8⁺ T cells specific for HLA-A*02:01-M1_58-66 (A2/M1₅₈; a prominent influenza epitope) in newborns, children, adults, and older adults directly ex vivo. Our data provide evidence that epitope-specific T_cm CD8⁺ pools dominate influenza-specific memory A2/M1₅₈⁺CD8⁺ T cell responses from the early childhood until old age. T_cm gene signatures were largely maintained across the age groups,

SUBMITTER: Menon T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12318230 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature