Age influences CMV-specific NK and CD8 T cell memory fates (NK cells)

NK and CD8 T cell cytolysis control CMV; yet their coordinate response to CMV remains uncharacterized, particularly in infants. We interrogated how NK and CD8 T cell responses differed between adults and infants in a murine CMV (MCMV) infection model.

NK and CD8 T cells both limited infant MCMV infection morbidity. Notably, adult and infant NK cells effectuate discrete responses to MCMV infection with the latter preferentially forming memory associated with transcriptional distinctions prior to infection. Adoptive transfer studies further revealed that infant T cells are effector-biased but acquire the capacity to form memory in an age-dependent manner.