Early life exposures shape the CD4⁺ T cell transcriptome, influencing proliferation, differentiation, and mitochondrial dynamics later in life.

ABSTRACT: Early life environmental exposures drive lasting changes to the function of the immune system and can contribute to disease later in life. One of the ways environmental factors act is through cellular receptors. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is expressed by immune cells and binds numerous xenobiotics. Early life exposure to chemicals that bind the AHR impairs CD4⁺ T cell responses to influenza A virus (IAV) infection in adulthood. However, the cellular mechanisms that underlie these durable changes remain poorly defined. Transcriptomic profiling of sorted CD4⁺ T cells identified changes in genes involved in proliferation, differentiation, and metabolic pathways were associated with triggering AHR during development. Functional bioassays confirmed that CD4^+<

SUBMITTER: Burke CG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6686001 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature