Intracellular pH links energy metabolism to lymphocyte death and proliferation.

ABSTRACT: The role of intracellular pH (pHi) of lymphocytes in the control of the magnitude of immune response is unknown. The central question addressed in this report is whether energy metabolism affects pHi, which in turn regulates the death and proliferation of the lymphocytes and hence the magnitude of the immune response. To this end, we studied lymphocytes in the in vitro model of anti-CD3 activation and the in vivo mouse model of ovalbumin sensitization and challenge. We found that low pHi induces apoptosis of proliferating lymphocytes, whereas high pHi is conducive to their survival. In the in vivo model, treating the mice with the metabolic regulators dichloroacetate or C75 that increase the influx of carbons derived from pyruvate and fatty acid to the TCA cycle, respectively, lowered pHi.

SUBMITTER: Zeng WP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12464272 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature