Iron deficiency causes aspartate-sensitive dysfunction in CD8⁺ T cells.

ABSTRACT: Iron is an irreplaceable co-factor for metabolism. Iron deficiency affects >1 billion people and decreased iron availability impairs immunity. Nevertheless, how iron deprivation impacts immune cell function remains poorly characterised. We interrogate how physiologically low iron availability affects CD8⁺ T cell metabolism and function, using multi-omic and metabolic labelling approaches. Iron limitation does not substantially alter initial post-activation increases in cell size and CD25 upregulation. However, low iron profoundly stalls proliferation (without influencing cell viability), alters histone methylation status, gene expression, and disrupts mitochondrial membrane potential. Glucose and glutamine metabolism in the TCA cycle is limited and partially reverses to a reduct

SUBMITTER: Teh MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12181297 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature