Interferon Regulatory Factor 4 controls T cell effector function and metabolism.

The transcription factor Interferon Regulatory Factor 4 (IRF4) is essential for T and T cell formation and controls peripheral CD8 T cell differentiation. We used Listeria monocytogenes infection to characterize the function of IRF4 in T responses. IRF4 mice generated only marginal numbers of listeria-specific T cells.