SATB1 - An Enforcer of CD8+ T cell naivety

This thesis examines the role of SATB1 in killer CD8+ T cell responses to infection. SATB1 is a genome binding protein that that plays a pivotal role in ensuring that cells are able to undergo appropriate cellular differentiation processes. This thesis showed that SATB1 is key for maintaining naive CD8+ T cell quiescence prior to infection and plays a role in limiting effector differentiation and promoting memory T cell generation. This study suggests that SATB1 is a master regulator of optimal T cell responses to infection by ensuring optimal T cell memory generation. This thesis has implications for improving immunotherapeutics and vaccine development for infectious diseases and cancer.