Work

Metabolic reprogramming and metabolic dependency in T cells

Year: 2012

Type: review

Abstract: Upon activation, quiescent naive T cells undergo a growth phase followed by massive clonal expansion and differentiation that are essential for appropriate immune defense and regulation. Accumulation of cell biomass during the initial growth and rapid proliferation during the expansion phase is associated with dramatically increased bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands. This not only requires a metabolic rewiring during the transition between resting and activation but also 'addicts' active T cells to certain metabolic pathways in ways that naive and memory T cells are not. We consider such addiction in terms of the biological effects of deprivation of metabolic substrates or inhibition of specific pathways in T cells. In this review, we illustrate the relevant metabolic pathways revealed by recent metabolic flux analysis and discuss the consequences of metabolic intervention on specific metabolic pathways in T lymphocytes.

Source: Immunological Reviews

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.2012.01155.x

Authors: Ruoning Wang, Douglas R. Green

Institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Language: English

Topic: T-cell and B-cell Immunology

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases