Memories are made of this:: synergy of T cell receptor and cytokine signals in CD4+ central memory cell survival

The ability of the immune system to 'remember' a previous encounter with antigen is the hallmark of the adaptive immune response. The signals required for CD4(+) memory T cell survival are not well understood, and a recent paper lends new biochemical insights into how memory T cells might optimally be preserved through the convergence of signals from the engagement of cytokine and antigen-specific T cell receptors.