T cell metabolism and the immune response

As T cells respond to pathogens, they must transition from a quiescent, naïve state, to a rapidly proliferating, active effector state, and back again to a quiescent state as they develop into memory cells. Such transitions place unique metabolic demands on the differentiating cells. T cells meet these demands by altering their metabolic profiles, which are, in turn, regulated by distinct signaling cascades and transcriptional programs. Here, we examine the metabolic profiles of T cells during an acute immune response and discuss the signal and transcriptional regulators of these metabolic changes.

► An acute immune response places various metabolic demands on T cells. ► The transcriptional program of naïve cells enforces a quiescent state, characterized by the oxidation of glucose and fatty acids. ► The signaling events predicated by activation cause a transcriptional and metabolic switch, primarily to aerobic glycolysis. ► The transcription factors that regulate the switch back to fatty acid oxidation in memory T cells are not well characterized but are likely governed by AMPK signaling pathways. ► Understanding T cell metabolism and its regulation may represent a means to create targeted T cell responses.