Homeostatic control of metabolic and functional fitness of T cells by LKB1 signalling.

Nature
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Regulatory T cells (T cells) have a pivotal role in the establishment and maintenance of immunological self-tolerance and homeostasis. Transcriptional programming of regulatory mechanisms facilitates the functional activation of T cells in the prevention of diverse types of inflammatory responses. It remains unclear how T cells orchestrate their homeostasis and interplay with environmental signals. Here we show that liver kinase B1 (LKB1) programs the metabolic and functional fitness of T cells in the control of immune tolerance and homeostasis. Mice with a T-specific deletion of LKB1 developed a fatal inflammatory disease characterized by excessive T2-type-dominant responses. LKB1 deficiency disrupted T cell survival and mitochondrial fitness and metabolism, but also induced aberrant expression of immune regulatory molecules including the negative co-receptor PD-1 and the TNF receptor superfamily proteins GITR and OX40. Unexpectedly, LKB1 function in T cells was independent of conventional AMPK signalling or the mTORC1-HIF-1α axis, but contributed to the activation of β-catenin signalling for the control of PD-1 and TNF receptor proteins. Blockade of PD-1 activity reinvigorated the ability of LKB1-deficient T cells to suppress T2 responses and the interplay with dendritic cells primed by thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Thus, T cells use LKB1 signalling to coordinate their metabolic and immunological homeostasis and to prevent apoptotic and functional exhaustion, thereby orchestrating the balance between immunity and tolerance.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
Nature
Volume
548
Issue
7669
Pages
602-606
Date Published
2017 08 31
ISSN
1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature23665
PubMed ID
28847007
PubMed Central ID
PMC5804356
Links
Grant list
NS064599 / NH / NIH HHS / United States
AI101407 / NH / NIH HHS / United States
R01 NS064599 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI105887 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
AI105887 / NH / NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA176624 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA221290 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
CA176624 / NH / NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI101407 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States