Prostaglandin E₂ controls the metabolic adaptation of T cells to the intestinal microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: Immune cells must adapt to different environments during the course of an immune response. Here we study the adaptation of CD8⁺ T cells to the intestinal microenvironment and how this process shapes the establishment of the CD8⁺ T cell pool. CD8⁺ T cells progressively remodel their transcriptome and surface phenotype as they enter the gut wall, and downregulate expression of mitochondrial genes. Human and mouse intestinal CD8⁺ T cells have reduced mitochondrial mass, but maintain a viable energy balance to sustain their function. We find that the intestinal microenvironment is rich in prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), which drives mitochondrial depolarization in CD8⁺ T cells. Consequently, these cells engage autophagy to c

SUBMITTER: Villa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10781727 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature