Metabolic pathways in T cell activation and lineage differentiation.
Recent advances in the field of immunometabolism support the concept that fundamental processes in T cell biology, such as TCR-mediated activation and T helper lineage differentiation, are closely linked to changes in the cellular metabolic programs. Although the major task of the intermediate metabolism is to provide the cell with a constant supply of energy and molecular precursors for the production of biomolecules, the dynamic regulation of metabolic pathways also plays an active role in shaping T cell responses. Key metabolic processes such as glycolysis, fatty acid and mitochondrial metabolism are now recognized as crucial players in T cell activation and differentiation, and their modulation can differentially affect the development of T helper cell lineages. In this review, we describe the diverse metabolic processes that T cells engage during their life cycle from naïve towards effector and memory T cells. We consider in particular how the cellular metabolism may actively support the function of T cells in their different states. Moreover, we discuss how molecular regulators such as mTOR or AMPK link environmental changes to adaptations in the cellular metabolism and elucidate the consequences on T cell differentiation and function.
Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, A Joint Venture Between the Medical School Hannover (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover, Germany.
Luís
L
Almeida
Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, A Joint Venture Between the Medical School Hannover (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover, Germany.
Matthias
M
Lochner
Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, A Joint Venture Between the Medical School Hannover (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover, Germany.
Luciana
L
Berod
Institute of Infection Immunology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, A Joint Venture Between the Medical School Hannover (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: tim.sparwasser@twincore.de.
Tim
T
Sparwasser
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
D005227:Fatty Acids
ACC; AMPK; Fatty acid metabolism; Glycolysis; Metabolism; T cells; mTOR