Immunological Memory: Remembering Our Pathogens.

Acute viral infections induce long-term humoral and cellular immunity. However, the nature of T- and B-cell memory is different. Antiviral B-cell memory is usually manifested by continuous antibody production that lasts for many years after infection or vaccination. In contrast, the effector phase of the T cell response is short-lived (a few weeks), and “memory” in the T-cell compartment results from the presence of memory T cells, which are found at higher frequencies and can respond faster and develop into effector cells (i.e., CTL or cytokine producers) more efficiently than can naïve T cells. In this talk, I will discuss the following aspects of immunological memory:

1. Functional differences between naïve and memory T cells;

2. Memory T cell differentiation and memory cell subsets; and

3. Protective immunity by memory CD8 T cells.