Tabilas, CybelleWang, JocelynLiu, XiaojingLocasale, Jason W.Smith, Norah L.Rudd, Brian D.2021-12-132021-12-132019-11-15Tabilas, C., Wang, J., Liu, X., Locasale, J. W., Smith, N. L., & Rudd, B. D. (2019). Cutting Edge: Elevated Glycolytic Metabolism Limits the Formation of Memory CD8+ T Cells in Early Life. Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md.: 1950), 203(10), 2571–2576. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.19004261550-6606https://hdl.handle.net/1805/27156Neonates often develop poor immunity against intracellular pathogens. Because CD8+ T cells are essential for eliminating infectious agents, it is crucial to understand why they behave differently in early life. Previous studies in mice have demonstrated that neonatal CD8+ T cells fail to form memory because of an intrinsic propensity to differentiate into short-lived effectors. However, the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. We now show that neonatal CD8+ T cells exhibit higher glycolytic activity than adult CD8+ T cells postinfection, which may be due to age-related differences in Lin28b expression. Importantly, when glycolysis is pharmacologically inhibited, the impaired formation of neonatal memory CD8+ T cells can be restored. Collectively, these data suggest that neonatal CD8+ T cells are inherently biased toward undergoing glycolytic metabolism postinfection, which compromises their ability to develop into memory CD8+ T cells in early life.enPublisher PolicyAdoptive TransferAnimalsCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesArticle