Mitochondrial Activity Regulates Human T Helper 17 Differentiation and Function.

ABSTRACT: Immunometabolism plays a pivotal role in T cell fate decisions, yet its specific contribution to human Th17 differentiation remains incompletely understood. Th17 cells, a subset of CD4⁺ T cells, are central to autoimmune pathogenesis through their secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Elucidating the metabolic drivers of Th17 differentiation may reveal novel therapeutic targets. We investigated the role of mitochondrial activity in Th17 differentiation using an in vitro model with naïve human CD4⁺ T cells. Single-cell metabolic profiling and functional assays were used to characterise metabolic changes during differentiation. Th17 cells exhibited a hyperpolarised mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) compared to non-Th17 cells. Hyperpolarised ΔΨ cells displayed inc

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12665803 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature