Perforin and IL-2 Upregulation Define Qualitative Differences among Highly Functional Virus-Specific Human CD8+ T Cells

Abstract excerpt

The prevailing paradigm of T lymphocyte control of viral replication is that the protective capacity of virus-specific CD8(+) T cells is directly proportional to the number of functions they can perform, with IL-2 production capacity considered critical. Having recently defined rapid perforin upregulation as a novel effector function of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells, here we sought to determine whether new...