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Immunol."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    CD8 T cells are critical players in immune responses against pathogens. Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is predominantly produced by CD4 T cells and exerts multifaceted effects on CD8 T cell regulation and function. Using\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Il21<\/jats:italic>\n                    -reporter and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Il21<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2013fate mapping mice, we report that a subpopulation of activated CD8 T cells also produces IL-21 in the context of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. During the early effector phase of both acute and chronic infections, IL-21\u2013expressing CD8 T cells exhibit substantial proliferative and cytotoxic capacities, with higher levels of interferon-\u03b3 (IFN-\u03b3) and granzyme B (GZMB) compared with IL-21\n                    <jats:sup>\u2212<\/jats:sup>\n                    counterparts. Moreover, CD8 T cell\u2013derived IL-21 played a critical protective role in chronic, but not acute, infection. IL-21 expression in CD8 T cells appeared to be largely restricted to exhausted progenitor T cells during the exhaustion phase of chronic infection. These findings identify IL-21\u2013expressing CD8 T cells as pivotal players in the control of chronic infection.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciimmunol.aec5171","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T17:58:29Z","timestamp":1785520709000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dynamic expression of IL-21 in effector CD8 T cells helps control chronic infections"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7460-0074","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Zixuan","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China."},{"name":"Affiliated Hangzhou First People\u2019s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 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First People\u2019s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kun","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Birui","family":"Pan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China."},{"name":"Affiliated Hangzhou First People\u2019s Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1519-6478","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Peng","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 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