miR-150 Regulates Differentiation and Cytolytic Effector Function in CD8+ T cells

MicroRNAs regulate most mammalian genes and they control numerous aspects of immune system development and function. Their precise roles in the CD8+ T cell response, however, remain unclear. In this report, we show that in the absence of the microRNA miR-150, CD8+ T cells fail to undergo robust expansion and differentiation into short-lived terminal effector cells in response to primary infection with Listeria monocytogenes or Vaccinia virus. Notably, even after transitioning into the memory pool, miR-150 −/− cells still mount a weaker recall response to secondary infection and remain less differentiated than their wild-type counterparts. Transcriptome analysis shows miR-150 gene targets are globally upregulated in cells lacking miR-150 and amongst these targets, we found misregulation of genes associated with proliferation and effector cell function. These transcriptome data suggest that miR-150 deficient CD8+ T cells are less efficient in killing infected cells, which we validate experimentally. Together, these results reveal a cell-intrinsic role for miR-150 in the regulation of effector CD8+ T cell fate and function.