Regulatory circuits of mitophagy restrict distinct modes of cell death during memory CD8 T cell formation.

Mitophagy, a central process guarding mitochondrial quality, is commonly impaired in human diseases such as Parkinson's disease, but its impact in adaptive immunity remains unclear. The differentiation and survival of memory CD8 T cells rely on oxidative metabolism, a process that requires robust mitochondrial quality control. Here, we found that Parkinson's disease patients have a reduced frequency of CD8 memory T cells compared with healthy donors and failed to form memory T cells upon vaccination against COVID-19, highlighting the importance of mitochondrial quality control for memory CD8 T cell formation.