IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-KLF2 regulates CD8 T cell differentiation and migration in infection and cancer

KLF2 regulates CD8 T cell differentiation and migration in infection and cancer

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The talk examined how the transcription factor KLF2/KLF2 regulates CD8 T-cell differentiation and migration. Using single-cell multi-omics in a syngeneic leukemia CAR T-cell model, the lab built transcriptional networks showing FOXP1 as a stem-like CAR T-cell hub and KLF2 as an effector-like hub. KLF2 loss impaired effector differentiation, reduced Granzyme B and Tbx21, and increased exhaustion markers such as PD-1, TOX, and LAG3, indicating KLF2 promotes effector fate while restraining exhaustion. In LCMV infection, KLF2 also controlled antiviral CD8 T-cell expansion and tissue trafficking, partly through the S1P1 axis, affecting egress to blood and non-lymphoid organs. The speaker emphasized that KLF2 likely functions at multiple stages of T-cell responses, and future work will test dosage, metabolism, and possible mechanical cues.

Meta Tag

Date April 16, 2026 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Room 157

Session Molecular Mechanisms of T Cell Differentiation and Function

Speaker Tuoqi Wu

Track Immune Response Regulation: Molecular Mechanisms (IRM)

Year 2026

Keywords

KLF2

CD8 T-cell differentiation

CAR T-cell exhaustion

Granzyme B

S1P1 axis

April 16, 2026 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

157

Molecular Mechanisms of T Cell Differentiation and Function

Tuoqi Wu

Immune Response Regulation: Molecular Mechanisms (IRM)

2026