UC San Diego

Tissue-resident memory CD8⁺ T cells (T_RM) are localized in non-lymphoid tissues throughout the body where they mediate long-lived protective immunity at common sites of pathogen exposure. As the signals controlling T_RM differentiation are uncovered, it is becoming apparent that the dynamic activities of numerous transcription factors are intricately involved in T_RM formation. Here, we highlight known transcriptional regulators of T_RM differentiation and discuss how understanding the transcriptional programming of CD8⁺ T cell residency in non-lymphoid tissues can be leveraged to prevent or treat disease.