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T Cell Metabolism in Infection

Jonas Aakre Wik1, Bjørn Steen Skålhegg1

  • 1Division for Molecular Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Frontiers in Immunology
|April 1, 2022
PubMed

T lymphocytes (T cells) are divided into two functionally different subgroups the CD4+ T helper cells (Th) and the CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Adequate CD4 and CD8 T cell activation to proliferation, clonal expansion and effector function is crucial for efficient clearance of infection by pathogens. Failure to do so may lead to T cell exhaustion. Upon activation by antigen presenting cells, T cells undergo metabolic reprograming that support effector functions. In this review we will discuss how metabolic reprograming dictates functionality during viral infections using severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as examples. Moreover, we will briefly discuss T cell metabolic programs during bacterial infections exemplified by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) infection.

Keywords:
COVID-19HIVT cellsimmunometabolisminfectionmetabolismtuberculosis

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