Your immune system holds the line against repeat invaders, thanks to this molecule JUPITER, FL April 17, 2018 Memory T cells are a critical element of our immune system's historical archive. To prevent repeat infections, these cells retain a record of germs they've fought before.
But for all their importance, the origins of memory T cells have remained a mystery. Now, a new study from the laboratory of immunologist Matthew Pipkin, PhD, of The Scripps Research Institute's Florida campus, lays out the opening chapter of this enigma.
Researchers found a transcription factor protein called Runx3 puts dividing T cells on track to becoming memory T cells. This new insight may allow researchers to design drugs that improve immune responses to vaccines, Pipkin says. The discovery could also have implications for chronic diseases such as cancer, in which responding T cells sometimes become exhausted and unable to rally an effective defense.
There are instances such as chronic infection and tumors where the T cells differentiate in an aberrant way that shortens their life span and decreases their function, Pipkin says. Because our study found that Runx3 is one of the earliest players during an immune response, manipulating it might be an avenue to basically turn back the clock and reprogram dysfunctional T cells into a format that is conducive to them developing into genuine memory cells that are protective.
(Left to right) Adam Getzler, Huitian Diao, Dapeng Wang and Matthew Pipkin led the study on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (Photo by Scott Wiseman)
The study, The transcription factor Runx3 establishes chromatin accessibility of cis-regulatory landscapes that drive memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte formation, appears online in the journal Immunity on April 17, 2018.
Runx3 coordinates a rapid memory cell response
Runx3's control of T cell differentiation is important because when our bodies fight off viruses and cancers and our T cells burst into action the vast majority tend to become effector cells. These effector cells are short-lived and do not persist once the infection resolves.
The amount of Runx3 has a deterministic effect on the outcome of the differentiation of the T cells, Pipkin says. Runx3 controls that burst of activity and ensures the cells are directed toward a different fate, that of memory T cells, which can live for decades.
This finding provides molecular evidence that the programming of memory is established very rapidly, and that it's kind of a push and pull to restrain the developing memory cells from differentiating into effector cells, which is a dead-end road, says Pipkin.
The team studied what happened when Runx3 expression was partially suppressed using RNA interference. All those experiments showed you lost the known precursors that give rise to memory T cells, Pipkin says. Conversely, cells with experimentally increased Runx3 produced more memory T cells.
Cells with increased Runx3 were also better at regenerating new rounds of memory cells than normal cells after repeated infections with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Listeria monocytogenes. This indicated that Runx3 enhances memory T cell potential, Pipkin says.
Our work demonstrates that Runx3 turns down another transcription factor that commits the cells to becoming these terminal effector cells, and it slows down proliferation. That keeps the cells on a trajectory into the memory lineage.
The new study also sheds light on the timeline when immune memory is established against an invader. Researchers found molecular evidence that the programming of memory T cells happens very rapidly after the immune system first encounters new threats. At this time, na ve CD8+ T cells must begin developing into specialists called cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), that can kill infected or malignant cells. Pipkin's lab found that Runx3 coordinates the memory T cell differentiation program within the first few hours of infection.
Pipkin and his colleagues discovered the critical role of Runx3 in T cell differentiation by challenging na ve T cells with an antibody signal that mimicked infection, and then mapping the areas of the newly exposed genome. This revealed that the locations on our chromosomes where Runx3 binds became receptive to binding immediately after infection, and before the first CD8+ T cell division. These regions were also receptive in fully developed memory T cells, but less so in the terminal effector cells.
The findings raise many questions, Pipkin adds. He wants to determine if some type of therapeutic could rescue naturally occurring Runx3 deficiencies. He also wants to identify the other players that cooperate with Runx3.
We know that Runx3 is working with a number of additional transcription factors and chromatin regulatory proteins, Pipkin says. So, we are currently trying to identify them and determine how they collaborate with Runx3 to turn on and off different regions of the genome to promote memory development.
In addition to Pipkin, the authors of the study include first author Dapeng Wang, Huitian Diao, Adam J. Getzler, Walter Rogal and Megan Frederick of The Scripps Research Institute; Justin Milner, Bingfei Yu and Ananda Goldrath of the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California, San Diego; and Shane Crotty of the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
The research was supported by Frenchman's Creek Women for Cancer Research and the National Institutes of Health (grants R01 AI095634 (M.E.P.) and NIH U19 AI109976).
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the worlds largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recogn
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/03/2026
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the governing body for Italy's premier basketball...
04/03/2026
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will host a first-of-its-kind ...
04/03/2026
The countdown is underway and with just 100 days to go until the world's greatest sporting event begins on Thurs., June 11, FOX Sports, America's Englis...
04/03/2026
No matter where they are in the world, service members and veterans can stream N...
04/03/2026
Telemundo officially releases Somos M s, the anthem for the network's cove...
04/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives, and execut...
04/03/2026
Smith Entertainment Group transformed how local sports are consumed by creating ...
04/03/2026
The production method, which spans a distance of 36.2 miles, was designed and im...
04/03/2026
Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and...
04/03/2026
When Hugues Meyrath came out of retirement to take the helm as CEO of Quantum, i...
04/03/2026
Last week's launch of Banana Ball Championship League has spurred a significant upgrade of production facilities
The Savannah Bananas, arguably the hottest...
04/03/2026
sldkfjsdlfkjsldkfjsldkjfslkdjfslkdjfsl
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus...
04/03/2026
For many fans, a song's backstory can be just as compelling as the final pro...
04/03/2026
In 2006, Spotify was founded on the belief that technology could bring artists a...
04/03/2026
Spotify is back on the ground for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and we&#...
04/03/2026
Spotify had an energizing week in Sydney, Australia, filled with powerful conver...
04/03/2026
Earlier this year, we launched Directed By, a documentary-style series that pull...
04/03/2026
100 Days to Go: SBS Unveils World Class Team for The Greatest Show on Earth -The...
04/03/2026
KT and Rohde & Schwarz to showcase AI-enhanced radio transmission performance In a joint 6G AI proof-of-concept demonstration, the CMX500 one-box tester from ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, 3 March 2026 - SES S.A. has today published its 2025 Annual Report, following the announcement of the company's full year financial results for ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, March 3, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, along with I...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON Partners with GSMA Innovation Fund to Accelerate Digital Innov...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON's Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open...
04/03/2026
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Sky Sports unveils plans for 2026 Formula 1 coverage
Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recen...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Bloodhounds' Season 2 Gears Up for April 3 Premiere with ...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Ads Suite Expands Capabilities
Business
04 March 2026
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
After launching the Netflix Ad...
04/03/2026
Scripps Research welcomes healthcare innovator Joe Kiani to the Board of Directors Kiani brings decades of experience in patient safety and public service.
Mar...
04/03/2026
Nanoparticle vaccine approach takes on a new target: Hepatitis C virus Scripps Research scientists reengineer critical proteins on the surface of HCV, paving th...
03/03/2026
Beyond Sports, a Sony group company, and LIV Golf, the world's golf league, ...
03/03/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announces the launch of Detroit SportsNet (DSN), a year-round broadcast home for two of Detroit's franchises. With flexible op...
03/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
03/03/2026
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports extend their media rights agreemen...
03/03/2026
AI device ecosystem company HONOR enters into a strategic technical collaboratio...
03/03/2026
Cleveland's Telos Alliance, pioneers in broadcast technology for 30 years, l...
03/03/2026
The MD 9235 microphone head for wireless handhelds has been a firm favorite with many engineers and artists for its ability to cut through high on-stage levels ...
03/03/2026
Haivision Systems Inc. (Haivision), a global provider of mission-critical, real-...
03/03/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) announces the expansion of its 62,000-square-fo...
03/03/2026
Maroon 5's musical tour in 2025 marked a leap forward in live audio as Monitor Engineer Dave Rupsch utilized Sennheiser's all-digital Spectera wireless ...
03/03/2026
Designed specifically for pro basketball, the renovated space at Gainbridge Fiel...
03/03/2026
As part of the move, former CEO Phillipp Lawo joins the broadcast-tech provider's Supervisory Board
Lawo has announced appointment of Jamie Dunn as chief e...
03/03/2026
A team of legendary announcers and analysts and a classic graphics look will bring the past to life
NBC Sports and Peacock will return to yesteryear for tonigh...
Your immune system holds the line against repeat invaders, thanks to this molecule JUPITER, FL April 17, 2018 Memory T cells are a critical element of our immune system's historical archive. To prevent repeat infections, these cells retain a record of germs they've fought before.
