As we observed the enhanced responses of VACV-specific eEF-2K−/− effector CD8+ T cells to viral infection (Figure 2), we performed RNA-sequencing of sorted VACV-specific CD8+ T cells and found a significant enrichment of pathways associated with antiviral defense, mitochondrial function, and respiratory chain activity in eEF-2K−/− CD8+ T cells (Figure 4A). Here, CD8A is linked to viral infectious disease.