Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Tailoring In Vivo Cytotoxicity Assays to Study Immunodominance in Tumor-specific CD8+ T Cell Responses
Published on: May 6, 2019
CD8(+) T cells: foot soldiers of the immune system
1Department of Immunology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. nuz@uw.edu
Abstract:
Resting naive CD8(+) T cells have an astounding capacity to react to pathogens by massive expansion and differentiation into cytotoxic effector cells that migrate to all corners of the body to clear the infection. The initial interaction with antigen-presenting cells in the central lymphoid organs drives an orchestrated program of differentiation aimed at producing sufficient numbers of effectors to get the job done without resulting in clonal exhaustion. Interactions with antigen-presenting cells and other immune cells continue at the site of infection to regulate further on-site expansion and differentiation, all with the goal of protecting the host with minimal bystander tissue damage. Here we review recent advances in CD8(+) T cell recognition of antigen in lymphoid as well as in nonlymphoid tissues in the periphery, and how CD8(+) T cell expansion and differentiation are controlled in these contexts.
Related Concept Videos
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Cell-mediated Immune Responses
Antigen Presenting Cells
T cells require the help of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which process foreign antigens into smaller fragments that can be recognized by T cells. These APCs are highly specialized cells that efficiently internalize antigens...
Special Features of Adaptive Immunity
The primary cell types involved in adaptive immunity are T cells and B cells. Each type has a unique role in defending the body against pathogens. T cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. They identify and eliminate infected cells directly,...

