MicroRNA-29a attenuates CD8 T cell exhaustion and induces memory-like CD8 T cells during chronic infection.

ABSTRACT: CD8 T cells mediate protection against intracellular pathogens and tumors. However, persistent antigen during chronic infections or cancer leads to T cell exhaustion, suboptimal functionality, and reduced protective capacity. Despite considerable work interrogating the transcriptional regulation of exhausted CD8 T cells (TEX), the posttranscriptional control of TEX remains poorly understood. Here, we interrogated the role of microRNAs (miRs) in CD8 T cells responding to acutely resolved or chronic viral infection and identified miR-29a as a key regulator of TEX. Enforced expression of miR-29a improved CD8 T cell responses during chronic viral infection and antagonized exhaustion. miR-29a inhibited exhaustion-driving transcriptional pathways, including inflammatory and T cell receptor signa

SUBMITTER: Stelekati E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9169946 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature