# Control of CD8+ T cell activation and differentiation by the signaling adaptor BCAP

> **NIH NIH R01** · BENAROYA RESEARCH INST AT VIRGINIA MASON · 2020 · $505,393

## Abstract

Project Summary
CD8+ T cells integrate signals from the T cell receptor, co-stimulatory molecules, and cytokines that control
their clonal expansion and differentiation into specialized populations of terminal effector cells or long-lived
memory cells. Although the generation of effector and memory CD8+ T cells is required for clearance of
intracellular infections and forms the basis for vaccination strategies against a wide-range of pathogens and
anti-cancer immunotherapy, CD8+ T cells can also cause autoimmune tissue damage, and are a barrier to
effective tissue transplantation. Thus, understanding the molecular control of CD8+ T cell expansion,
differentiation and function will have wide-ranging applications in manipulating CD8+ T cell responses in the
contexts of vaccination and infectious disease, autoimmunity, transplantation and tumor immunotherapy.
However, despite extensive study our knowledge of the key molecules that direct the differentiation, function
and homeostasis of different populations of effector and memory CD8+ T cells remains incomplete. We have
made the novel observation that the signaling adaptor BCAP is rapidly upregulated upon activation of CD8+ T
cells. Moreover, we show that loss of BCAP impairs normal clonal expansion of CD8+ T cells and alters
effector/memory cell differentiation. Thus, we have identified BCAP as a critical and previously
uncharacterized signaling hub that helps control the outcome of CD8+ T cell activation. Thus, better
understanding BCAP function and identifying its associated signaling pathways will help define the molecular
basis for CD8+ T cell function, and provide new targets for therapeutically manipulating of CD8+ T cell
responses. In this proposal, we will build on these exciting preliminary studies to comprehensively determine
how BCAP-dependent signaling impacts the proliferation, differentiation and function of effector and memory
CD8+ T cells, and to define the key molecular pathways regulated by BCAP that help control each of these
processes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9936136
- **Project number:** 5R01AI124693-05
- **Recipient organization:** BENAROYA RESEARCH INST AT VIRGINIA MASON
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel J Campbell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $505,393
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-06-08 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9936136

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9936136, Control of CD8+ T cell activation and differentiation by the signaling adaptor BCAP (5R01AI124693-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9936136. Licensed CC0.

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