CD8 T cell Tolerance: It Doesn't Translate

The mechanisms that make and break CD8 T cell tolerance to self-antigens remain unclear. In this issue of Immunity, Van Der Byl et al. show that tolerant CD8 T cells rapidly adopt an epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct cell state and exhibit impaired protein translation. Breaking tolerance requires both inflammation and increased antigen exposure to augment MYC expression and restore translation.