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Author: Mia
Introduction: T cells are not the first immune force to appear. They appear after other immune system warriors warn of microbial invasion or cancer has quietly been sown. Exactly how T cells obtain the energy they need to build a massive army in the face of penetrating molecules has been the subject of decades of laboratory research.
Recently, researchers from the National Institutes of Health published a research paper titled "A central role for STAT5 in the transcriptional programming of T helper cell metabolism" on Science Immunology. The research deciphers how T cells are able to power their growth and proliferation when disease emerges and their power is needed most.
DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abl9467
Research background
01
Do you know? T cells are not the first immune force to emerge; they emerge after other immune system warriors warn of an invading microbe or that cancer has quietly seeded the seeds. Exactly how T cells obtain the energy they need to build a massive army in the face of penetrating molecules has been the subject of decades of laboratory research. Now, scientists are taking a closer look at the question and providing new clues to a dynamic set of biological events that help boost T cell numbers.
In this study, the researchers focused on the STAT5 pathway. STAT stands for signaling and transcription activator protein. Seven STATs have been discovered so far, of which STAT5 is particularly important because it is involved in key cell signaling and plays a key role in the growth and expansion of helper T cells . The STAT5 pathway controls responses to the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL2), according to a new bioinformatics study involving cell cultures.
STAT5 regulates T helper cell energy and amino acid metabolism
02
Author Dr. Alejandro Villarino said activation of T cells requires metabolic changes to meet the energy requirements for rapid growth and proliferation. The cytokine , which binds to the common gamma chain receptor on T cells, is critical for promoting the metabolic changes required for T cell activation. Common gamma chain family cytokines are central to these processes.
Through genomic, transcriptome , and metabolome analyses, the researchers demonstrated that STAT5 is a major regulator of energy and amino acid metabolism in CD4+ T helper cells . CD4+ T cells , also known as T helper cells or plain old TH cells, perform many immune functions . They are arguably the most important cells in the adaptive immune system, as they are required for a number of key immune responses.
Adaptive immunity, also known as the acquired system or cellular immunity , is the branch of the immune system dominated by T cells and B cells. TH cells help activate B cells, which in turn secrete antibodies. TH cells stimulate macrophages to destroy ingested microorganisms, but they also help activate cytotoxic T cells to kill infected cells. Because of the central role of TH cells in immunity, researchers sought to better understand how they obtain and maintain energy.
Further research found that TH cell proliferation and activation usually occur through cytokines that interact with the cell's gamma chain-cγ-receptor. A common signaling pathway used by cγ cytokines (including IL-2) is the STAT5 pathway - the master regulator. The team turned to genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics analyzes to better understand how the STAT5 pathway affects T cell amino acid metabolism. The researchers found that STAT5 has a cascade effect and can trigger another signaling pathway called mTOR, which is an important regulator of T helper cell metabolism .
Taken together, our data provide a molecular framework for transcriptional programming of T cell metabolism downstream of cγ cytokines and highlight the role of the JAK-STAT pathway in mediating cell growth and proliferation.
T cells and the COVID-19 pandemic
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In addition to the ongoing research of Villarino and colleagues, T cells in general have captured the public imagination in recent years amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. People want to know how T cell memory works and, more importantly, whether the mRNA vaccine promotes T cell proliferation. The answer is yes.
The results of these studies suggest that the presence of T cells may help explain why vaccinated people are protected from severe disease caused by various subtypes of the Omicron variant . Future vaccines against and may be designed to specifically boost T cell responses, scientists say.
Reference:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abl9467
Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference for treatment plans. If you need health guidance, please go to a regular hospital.
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