Transcriptional regulation of effector and memory CD8+ T cell fates

•Evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways such as WNT, STAT3, mTOR and Hippo regulate effector and memory T cell fate decisions.•Cross-talk exists between signaling pathways governing CD8+ T cell differentiation.•Transcription factors controlling memory T cell fates are often self-reinforcing and antagonistic to the transcriptional program regulating effector differentiation.•CD8+ T cell fate is influenced by both the inflammatory environment and the relative density of responding cells.

Immunity to intracellular pathogens and cancer relies on the generation of robust CD8+ T cell effector responses as well as the establishment of immunological memory. During a primary immune response CD8+ T cells experience diverse extracellular environmental cues and cell–cell interactions that trigger downstream transcriptional programs ultimately guiding a CD8+ T cell to undertake either an effector or a memory cell fate. Here, we discuss our current understanding of the signaling pathways and transcriptional networks that regulate effector and memory commitment in CD8+ T lymphocytes.