# Molecular and cellular insights into T cell exhaustion

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-wherry-nat-rev-immunol/  
OnCo record `paper-wherry-nat-rev-immunol` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Paper cited by one pathway page, indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 26205583 and published in Nature reviews. Immunology; the citing page links this DOI, which is how the record was matched.

## Summary

In chronic infections and cancer, T cells are exposed to persistent antigen and/or inflammatory signals. This scenario is often associated with the deterioration of T cell function: a state called 'exhaustion'. Exhausted T cells lose robust effector functions, express multiple inhibitory receptors and are defined by an altered transcriptional programme. T cell exhaustion is often associated with inefficient control of persisting infections and tumours, but revitalization of exhausted T cells can reinvigorate immunity. Here, we review recent advances that provide a clearer molecular understanding of T cell exhaustion and reveal new therapeutic targets for persisting infections and cancer.

Indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 26205583 (DOI 10.1038/nri3862). Matched by DOI alone: one pathway page cites this DOI among its external links (the pages are listed under Related), and this page was written so that the citation resolves inside OnCo. No figure has been checked by an editor.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-22
- Tags: europepmc-ingest
- Journal: Nature reviews. Immunology
- Year: 2015
- DOI: 10.1038/nri3862
- Authors: Wherry EJ, Kurachi M
- What it means: One pathway page on OnCo cites this paper by its DOI; this record gives the citation a page of its own so a reader can follow it without leaving OnCo. Read the abstract above alongside the citing page listed under Related; the record was created automatically from the Europe PMC entry and its figures have not been checked by hand.
- Caveats: Matched to the citing OnCo records by DOI alone; the summary reproduces the Europe PMC abstract and no figure has been verified against the full paper.

## Sources

- Nat Rev Immunol 2015: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3862
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26205583/
- Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/26205583

## Connected records

- pathways: [T-cell exhaustion](https://onco.cc/pathways/t-cell-exhaustion/)

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