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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Dec 13.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Immunol. 2012 Mar 22;12(4):269–281. doi: 10.1038/nri3191

Figure 3 |. Progressive T cell differentiation diminishes proliferative and antitumour capacities.

Figure 3 |

T cells experience progressive changes in their phenotypes following antigenic stimulation. Depending on the strength and duration of the signals that they encounter during activation, they are launched on a pathway of proliferation and differentiation. T cells must be able to fully differentiate if they are to have antitumour efficacy. However, experimental evidence indicates that for adoptive transfer, T cell differentiation is inversely correlated with antitumour efficacy. The process of T cell differentiation results in the loss of proliferative and self-renewal capacity. For CD8+ T cells, T memory stem (TSCM) cells are more effective against tumours than central memory T (TCM) cells, which are more effective than effector memory T (TEM) cells. APC, antigen-presenting cell; CCR7, CC-chemokine receptor 7; IL-2Rβ, IL-2 receptor β-chain; TCR, T cell receptor. Figure is modified, with permission, from REF. 117 © (2011) Macmillan Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.