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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Generation of Human Alloantigen-specific T Cells from Peripheral Blood
Published on: November 21, 2014
CD8 memory T cells: cross-reactivity and heterologous immunity
Liisa K Selin1, Markus Cornberg, Michael A Brehm
1Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. Liisa.Selin@umassmed.edu
Abstract:
Virus-specific memory T cell populations demonstrate plasticity in antigen recognition and in their ability to accommodate new memory T cell populations. The degeneracy of T cell antigen recognition and the flexibility of diverse antigen-specific repertoires allow the host to respond to a multitude of pathogens while accommodating these numerous large memory pools in a finite immune system. These cross-reactive memory T cells can be employed in immune responses and mediate protective immunity, but they can also induce life-threatening immunopathology or impede transplantation tolerance and graft survival. Here we discuss examples of altered viral pathogenesis occurring as a consequence of heterologous T cell immunity and propose models for the maintenance of a dynamic pool of memory cells.
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