When killer T cells of our immune system divide, they normally undergo asymmetric cell division (ACD): Each daughter cell inherits different cellular components, which drive the cells toward divergent fates – one cell becomes a short-lived fighter called an effector T cell, the other cell becomes a long-lived memory T cell.
Research by Dr. Mariana Borsa and Prof. Katja Simon, with important contributions from members of several labs at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and other collaborators across Europe, has shown for the first time that cellular autophagy – a 'housekeeping' mechanism by which cells degrade and recycle cell cargo – plays a critical role in this decision process.