Maintenance of CD4 T cell fitness through regulation of Foxo1.

Nat Immunol
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Foxo transcription factors play an essential role in regulating specialized lymphocyte functions and in maintaining T cell quiescence. Here, we used a system in which Foxo1 transcription-factor activity, which is normally terminated upon cell activation, cannot be silenced, and we show that enforcing Foxo1 activity disrupts homeostasis of CD4 conventional and regulatory T cells. Despite limiting cell metabolism, continued Foxo1 activity is associated with increased activation of the kinase Akt and a cell-intrinsic proliferative advantage; however, survival and cell division are decreased in a competitive setting or growth-factor-limiting conditions. Via control of expression of the transcription factor Myc and the IL-2 receptor β-chain, termination of Foxo1 signaling couples the increase in cellular cholesterol to biomass accumulation after activation, thereby facilitating immunological synapse formation and mTORC1 activity. These data reveal that Foxo1 regulates the integration of metabolic and mitogenic signals essential for T cell competitive fitness and the coordination of cell growth with cell division.

Year of Publication
2018
Journal
Nat Immunol
Volume
19
Issue
8
Pages
838-848
Date Published
2018 08
ISSN
1529-2916
DOI
10.1038/s41590-018-0157-4
PubMed ID
29988091
PubMed Central ID
PMC6289177
Links
Grant list
R21 AI126143 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI124693 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
P01 CA065493 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL118979 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U19 AI051731 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R37 AI034495 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
P01 HL018646 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
P50 CA211015 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
T32 AI007529 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI101407 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
P01 AI056299 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
T32 AI106677 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R37 HL056067 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL056067 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA176624 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
WT_ / Wellcome Trust / United Kingdom