The importance of cellular metabolic adaptation in inducing robust T cell responses is well established. However, the mechanism by which T cells link information regarding nutrient supply to clonal expansion and effector function is still enigmatic. Herein, we report that the metabolic sensor adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a critical link between cellular energy demand and translational activity and, thus, orchestrates optimal expansion of T cells in vivo. AMPK deficiency did not affect T cell fate decision, activation, or T effector cell generation; however, the magnitude of T cell responses in murine in vivo models of T cell activation was markedly reduced. This impairment was global, as all T helper cell subsets were similarly sensitive to loss of AMPK which resulted in reduced T cell accumulation in peripheral organs and reduced disease severity in pathophysiologically as diverse models as T cell transfer colitis and allergic airway inflammation. T cell receptor repertoire analysis confirmed similar clonotype frequencies in different lymphoid organs, thereby supporting the concept of a quantitative impairment in clonal expansion rather than a skewed qualitative immune response. In line with these findings, in-depth metabolic analysis revealed a decrease in T cell oxidative metabolism, and gene set enrichment analysis indicated a major reduction in ribosomal biogenesis and mRNA translation in AMPK-deficient T cells. We, thus, provide evidence that through its interference with these delicate processes, AMPK orchestrates the quantitative, but not the qualitative, manifestation of primary T cell responses in vivo.

• MeSH
• adenylátkinasa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• aktivace lymfocytů MeSH
• buňky Th17 fyziologie   MeSH
• CD4-pozitivní T-lymfocyty MeSH
• DNA vazebné proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• fyziologická adaptace MeSH
• kolitida imunologie   MeSH
• messenger RNA genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši MeSH
• převzatá imunita MeSH
• regulace genové exprese enzymů MeSH
• regulační T-lymfocyty fyziologie   MeSH
• T-lymfocyty pomocné-indukující fyziologie   MeSH
• Th1 buňky fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH