The purinergic receptor P2RX7 directs metabolic fitness of long-lived memory CD8⁺ T cells.

ABSTRACT: Extracellular ATP (eATP) is an ancient 'danger signal' used by eukaryotes to detect cellular damage¹. In mice and humans, the release of eATP during inflammation or injury stimulates both innate immune activation and chronic pain through the purinergic receptor P2RX7^2-4. It is unclear, however, whether this pathway influences the generation of immunological memory, a hallmark of the adaptive immune system that constitutes the basis of vaccines and protective immunity against re-infection^5,6. Here we show that P2RX7 is required for the establishment, maintenance and functionality of long-lived central and tissue-resident memory CD8⁺ T cell populations in mice. By contrast, P2RX7 is not required for the generation of short-lived effector CD8^+<

SUBMITTER: Borges da Silva H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6054485 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature