The expanding Pandora's toolbox of CD8 + T cell: from transcriptional control to metabolic firing.

CD8 + T cells are the executor in adaptive immune response, especially in anti-tumor immunity. They are the subset immune cells that are of high plasticity and multifunction. Their development, differentiation, activation and metabolism are delicately regulated by multiple factors. Stimuli from the internal and external environment could remodel CD8 + T cells, and correspondingly they will also make adjustments to the microenvironmental changes. Here we describe the most updated progresses in CD8 + T biology from transcriptional regulation to metabolism mechanisms, and also their interactions with the microenvironment, especially in cancer and immunotherapy. The expanding landscape of CD8 + T cell biology and discovery of potential targets to regulate CD8 + T cells will provide new viewpoints for clinical immunotherapy.