Effector cells derived from nave or central memory pmel-1 CD8+ T cells

Effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy can be generated by in vitro stimulation of nave or memory subsets of CD8+ T cells. While the characteristics of CD8+ T cell subsets are well defined, the heritable influence of those populations on their effector cell progeny is not well understood. We studied effector cells generated from nave or central memory CD8+ T cells and found that they retained distinct gene expression signatures and developmental programs. Effector cells derived from central memory cells tended to retain their CD62L+ phenotype, but also to acquire KLRG1, an indicator of cellular senescence. In contrast, the effector cell progeny of nave cells displayed reduced terminal differentiation, and, following infusion, they displayed greater expansion, cytokine production, and tumor destruction. These data indicate that effector cells retain a gene expression imprint conferred by their nave or central memory progenitors, and they suggest a strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy.

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Hinrichs CS, Borman ZA, Cassard L, Gattinoni L, Spolski R, Yu Z, Sanchez-Perez L, Muranski P, Kern SJ, Logun C, Palmer DC, Ji Y, Reger RN, Leonard WJ, Danner RL, Rosenberg SA, Restifo NP