STK40 regulates T cell development and effector function through COP1-depenendent degradation of c-Jun transcription factor

To examine the effect of Stk40 deletion specifically in T cells during chronic LCMV infection, we have generated a T cell specific knockout mouse line (CD4CreER; Stk40loxp/loxp). We found that mice lacking Stk40 exhibited improved viral clearance and T cell function compared to WT counterparts. To gain a broader understanding of how Stk40 regulates T cell response to chronic LCMV infection, we performed single cell transcriptome analysis on magnetically enriched LCMV-specific dextramer+ CD8 T cells isolated from spleens of Stk40 KO or WT mice at days 15 and 22 after infection with LCMV clone 13.