From the thymus to longevity in the periphery.

An important attribute of the adaptive immune system is the ability to remember a prior encounter with a pathogen; an ability termed immunological memory. Bigger, better, and stronger responses are mounted upon a secondary encounter with the pathogen potentially resulting in clearance of the infection before the development of disease. We will review recent advances in the field of memory CD8(+) T cell differentiation focusing on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that govern the development of T cell memory. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.