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Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Multicolor Flow Cytometry-based Quantification of Mitochondria and Lysosomes in T Cells
Published on: January 9, 2019
Computational properties of mitochondria in T cell activation and fate
Roman Uzhachenko1, Anil Shanker2,3, Geneviève Dupont4
1Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA.
Abstract:
In this article, we review how mitochondrial Ca2+ transport (mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and Na+/Ca2+ exchange) is involved in T cell biology, including activation and differentiation through shaping cellular Ca2+ signals. Based on recent observations, we propose that the Ca2+ crosstalk between mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm may form a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. This PID mechanism (which is well known in engineering) could be responsible for computing cellular decisions. In addition, we point out the importance of analogue and digital signal processing in T cell life and implication of mitochondrial Ca2+ transport in this process.
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