Epigenetic Scars of CD8⁺ T Cell Exhaustion Persist after Cure of Chronic Infection in Humans

Researchers showed that the epigenetic state of exhaustion was largely irreversible, even after curative therapy. Analysis of chromatin accessibility in HCV- and HIV-specific responses identified a core epigenetic program of exhaustion in CD8+ T cells, which underwent only limited remodeling before and after resolution of infection.