Human memory CD8 T cell effector potential is epigenetically preserved during in vivo homeostasis

Antigen-independent homeostasis of memory CD8 T cells is vital for sustaining long-lived T cell–mediated immunity. In this study, we report that maintenance of human memory CD8 T cell effector potential during in vitro and in vivo homeostatic proliferation is coupled to preservation of acquired DNA methylation programs. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of primary human naive, short-lived effector memory (T(EM)), and longer-lived central memory (T(CM)) and stem cell memory (T(SCM)) CD8 T cells identified effector molecules with demethylated promoters and poised for expression. Effector-loci demethylation was heritably preserved during IL-7– and IL-15–mediated in vitro cell proliferation. Conversely, cytokine-driven proliferation of T(CM) and T(SCM) memory cells resulted in phenotypic conversion into T(EM) cells and was coupled to increased methylation of the CCR7 and Tcf7 loci. Furthermore, haploidentical donor memory CD8 T cells undergoing in vivo proliferation in lymphodepleted recipients also maintained their effector-associated demethylated status but acquired T(EM)-associated programs. These data demonstrate that effector-associated epigenetic programs are preserved during cytokine-driven subset interconversion of human memory CD8 T cells.