Adenoviral vector vaccination induces a conserved program of CD8+ T cell memory differentiation in mouse and man

Following exposure to vaccines, antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses develop as long-term memory pools. Novel vaccine strategies based on adenoviral vectors, e.g. those developed for HCV, are able to induce and sustain substantial CD8+ T-cell populations. How such populations evolve following vaccination remains to be defined at a transcriptional level. We addressed the transcriptional regulation of divergent CD8+ T-cell memory pools induced by an adenoviral vector encoding a model antigen (beta-galactosidase). We observe transcriptional profiles that mimic those following infection with persistent pathogens, murine and human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Key transcriptional hallmarks include up-regulation of homing receptors, and anti-apoptotic pathways, driven by conserved networks of transcription factors, including T-bet (TBX21). In humans, a novel adenovirus vaccine induced similar CMV-like phenotypes and underlying transcription factor regulation. These data clarify the core features of CD8+ T-cell memory following vaccination with adenovirus vectors and indicate a conserved pathway for memory development shared with persistent herpesviruses.

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Bolinger B, Sims S, Swadling L, O'Hara G, de Lara C, Baban D, Saghal N, Lee LN, Marchi E, Davis M, Newell E, Capone S, Folgori A, Barnes E, Klenerman P