Both CD8+ and CD4+ TCR transgenic T cells undergo changes to their functional avidity throughout the primary effector response to infection [17], [18], and we have previously reported that SMARTA TCR transgenic T cells, with monoclonal specificity to the LCMV-derived Class II-restricted epitope GP61-80, increase their functional avidity as they transition from effector to memory [3]. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and infection.