CD8 T‐cell diversification: Asymmetric cell division and its functional implications

Abstract

Establishment of cellular diversity is a basic requirement for the development of multicellular organisms. Cellular diversification can be induced by asymmetric cell division (ACD), during which the emerging two daughter cells unequally inherit lineage specific cargo (including transcription factors, receptors for specific signaling inputs, metabolic platforms, and possibly different epigenetic landscapes), resulting in two daughter cells endowed with different fates. While ACD is strongly involved in lineage choices in mammalian stem cells, its role in fate diversification in lineage committed cell subsets that still exhibit plastic potential, such as T‐cells, is currently investigated. In this review, we focus predominantly on the role of ACD in fate diversification of CD8 T‐cells. Further, we discuss the impact of differential T‐cell receptor stimulation strengths and differentiation history on ACD‐mediated fate diversification and highlight a particular importance of ACD in the development of memory CD8 T‐cells upon high‐affinity stimulation conditions.