The purinergic receptor P2RX7 directs metabolic fitness of long-lived memory CD8+ T cells

Extracellular ATP (eATP) is an ancient ‘danger signal’ used by eukaryotes to detect cellular damage 1 . In mice and humans, the release of eATP during inflammation or injury stimulates both innate immune activation and chronic pain through the purinergic receptor P2RX7 2 – 4 . It is unclear, however, whether this pathway influences the generation of immunological memory, a hallmark of the adaptive immune system that constitutes the basis of vaccines and protective immunity against re-infection 5 , 6 . Here we show that P2RX7 is required for the establishment, maintenance and functionality of long-lived central and tissue-resident memory CD8 + T cell populations in mice. By contrast, P2RX7 is not required for the generation of short-lived effector CD8 + T cells. Mechanistically, P2RX7 promotes mitochondrial homeostasis and metabolic function in differentiating memory CD8 + T cells, at least in part by inducing AMP-activated protein kinase. Pharmacological inhibitors of P2RX7 provoked dysregulated metabolism and differentiation of activated mouse and human CD8 + T cells in vitro, and transient P2RX7 blockade in vivo ameliorated neuropathic pain but also compromised production of CD8 + memory T cells. These findings show that activation of P2RX7 by eATP provides a common currency that both alerts the nervous and immune system to tissue damage, and promotes the metabolic fitness and survival of the most durable and functionally relevant memory CD8 + T cell populations. Activation of P2RX7 receptors by extracellular ATP is required for the generation, maintenance and function of central and tissue-resident CD8 + memory T cells.