Nutrient-Related Pathways Have Key Role in T Cell Fate

A team of immunologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has mapped the biological machinery by which the immune system generates T cells. Their findings were published today in Cell. 

The researchers also discovered a new subtype of memory T cells that they named terminal effector prime cells. Mapping the pathway that controls these cells raises the possibility of manipulating this pathway to enhance the ability of the immune system to kill microbes and cancer cells.

In this study, the team sought to map the metabolic machinery that controls how the immune system decides to produce memory T cells. Hongbo Chi and his colleagues focused on mechanisms that inhibit the generation of this type of T cell.

The scientists used CRISPR to sift through more than 3,000 metabolism-controlling genes in mouse cells. The goal was to discover genes that regulated the fate of effector T cells and memory T cells. The research revealed a previously unknown role that nutrients play in regulating T cell fate. To the investigators' surprise, the analysis identified nutrient-related pathways that suppressed memory T cell production.

"The preconceived notion about nutrients' role in immune cell function was that the cells rely on nutrients as an energy source and for building blocks," Huang said. "But our study provides another view—that nutrients are involved in inhibitory pathways, and that deprivation of certain nutrients or metabolites might be good for adaptive immunity. "It seems to suggest that what you eat and drink may have a greater influence on immune function than previously appreciated," Huang said. "This will be an important pathway for future research."