Similarly, data from a mouse model in which another essential autophagy gene, Atg5, was deleted under the hematopoietic stem cell-specific promoter Vav, showed T cell lymphopenia and the expanded virtual memory T cell compartment (CD8+CD44+) suggesting this phenotype is not Atg7 specific (Figure 1—figure supplement 2A and B). The gene discussed is CD44; the disease is lymphopenia.