Sonny R Elizaldi, Chase E Hawes, Anil Verma, Yashavanth Shaan Lakshmanappa, Ashok R Dinasarapu, Brent T Schlegel, Dhivyaa Rajasundaram, Jie Li, Blythe P Durbin-Johnson, Zhong-Min Ma, Pabitra B Pal, Danielle Beckman, Sean Ott, Reben Raeman, Jeffrey Lifson, John H Morrison, Smita S Iyer
CD4 T cells survey and maintain immune homeostasis in the brain, yet their differentiation states and functional capabilities remain unclear. Our approach, combining single-cell transcriptomic analysis, ATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and flow cytometry, revealed a distinct subset of CCR7+ CD4 T cells resembling lymph node central memory (TCM) cells. We observed chromatin accessibility at the CCR7, CD28, and BCL-6 loci, defining molecular features of TCM. Brain CCR7+ CD4 T cells exhibited recall proliferation and interleukin-2 production ex vivo, showcasing their functional competence...
March 12, 2024: Journal of Clinical Investigation