Malnutrition Disrupts T Cell Migration

Abstract

Malnutrition is associated with reductions in the number and function of T lymphocytes. Previous studies in the lab suggest that malnutrition may also impart a “super-quiescent” phenotype to T cells, perhaps affecting the efficiency of their migration within and between lymph nodes. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of malnutrition on T cell migration in vivo and to characterize malnutrition-induced changes in the expression of proteins known to be important for T cell migration. To determine if malnourishment alters T cell migration in vivo, we compared lymph node entry rates of adoptively-transferred malnourished and control T cells in malnourished and control recipients. In agreement with other studies, control CD4+ T cells were more efficient than control CD8+ T cells at entering the lymph nodes. Interestingly, regardless of recipient diet, malnourished CD4+ and CD8+ T cells entered the lymph nodes at equivalent rates, suggesting that malnourishment eliminates distinct lymph node entry efficiencies for CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. We also found important differences in the expression of key proteins involved in T cell migration between malnourished and control mice. Overall, we found that malnutrition disrupts T cell migration including the distinct migration efficiencies of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. An improved understanding of T cell-intrinsic changes that occur during malnourishment should enhance our knowledge of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell migration and shed light on how organisms adapt to malnutrition. Supported by NSF-MRI [DBI- 1920116] NSF-RUI [IOS-1951881]