Immunity system complexity: superchargng T cells (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, December 23, 2022, 01:32 (834 days ago) @ David Turell
edited by David Turell, Friday, December 23, 2022, 01:42

New research in producing huge populations of T cells

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-secret-cells-derive-energy-master.html

"...scientists are taking a deeper dive into the question, and their investigations are shedding new light on an array of dynamic biological activities that help bolster T cell populations. Their research demystifies how T cells can power their growth and proliferation when disease emerges and T cell strength is in greatest need.

***

"...a collaborative group of scientists has zeroed in on the STAT5 pathway. STAT stands for signal transducers and activators of transcription. Seven STATs have been identified, but STAT5 is of particular interest because it is involved in crucial cellular signaling and plays a key role in helper T cell growth and expansion. The STAT5 pathway controls responses to the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL 2), according to a new bioinformatics study involving cell cultures.

"The research by Dr. Alejandro Villarino and colleagues demonstrates how STAT5 regulates the metabolism of T helper cells and underscores how the efficiency of this pathway impacts immunity.

"'T cell activation requires changes in metabolism needed for the energy demands of rapid growth and proliferation," Villarino writes in Science Immunology. "Cytokines that engage common gamma chain receptors on T cells are critical to promoting metabolic changes needed for [T cell] activation.
'
"Common gamma chain family cytokines are central to these processes," Villarino added, noting that STAT5's role has remained poorly understood. But the team's findings have opened a new window of understanding. Indeed, the team proposes a central role for STAT5 in T helper cell metabolism.

***

"'CD4+ T cells, also known as T-helper cells or just plain old TH cells, perform many immune functions. They're arguably the most important cells in the adaptive immune system because they are critically needed for a vast number of key immune responses. Adaptive immunity, also known as the acquired system or cellular immunity, is the arm of the immune system dominated by T cells and B cells.

"'TH cells help activate B cells, which in turn, secrete antibodies. TH cells spur macrophages to destroy ingested microbes, but they also help activate cytotoxic T cells to kill infected cells. In short, TH cells help orchestrate the adaptive immune response, and it is because of TH cells' central role in immunity that researchers have sought to better understand how they derive and sustain their energy.

***

"The National Institutes of Health research, led by Villarino and collaborators, wanted answers to deeper biological questions whose answers can help add context to T cell activity in devastating diseases. Most of all, the research examines how STAT5 functions and why it has been dubbed the master regulator of amino acid metabolism in T helper cells.

"As Villarino and colleagues explain, TH cell proliferation and activation are often regulated through cytokines that interact with the cells' gamma chain—cy—receptors. One common signaling pathway used by cy cytokines, including il-2, is the STATS pathway, the master regulator.2, is the STAT5 pathway, the master regulator."

Comment: a complex system like this of many molecules acting in ta ndem must be designed. It cannot developed step by step.