Proliferating transitory T cells with an effector-like transcriptional signature emerge from PD-1(+) stem-like CD8(+) T cells during chronic infection

T cell dysfunction is a characteristic feature of chronic viral infection and cancer. Recent studies in chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection have defined a PD-1(+) Tcf-1(+) CD8(+) T cell subset capable of self-renewal and differentiation into more terminally-differentiated cells that downregulate Tcf-1 and express additional inhibitory molecules such as Tim3. Here, we demonstrated that expression of the glycoprotein CD101 divides this terminally differentiated population into two subsets. Stem-like Tcf-1(+) CD8(+) T cells initially differentiated into a transitory population of CD101(−) Tim3(+) cells that later converted into CD101(+) Tim3(+) cells. Recently-generated CD101(−) Tim3(+) cells proliferated in vivo, contributed to viral control, and were marked by an effector-like transcriptional signature including expression of the chemokine receptor CX3CR1, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and granzyme B. PD-1 pathway blockade increased the numbers of CD101(−) Tim3(+) CD8(+) T cells, suggesting that these newly-generated, transitional cells play a critical role in PD-1 based immunotherapy.