In order to mount productive responses against pathogens, T cells need to be fed. That is, the metabolic demands of T cell increase upon activation and as a result, T cells need to take up more amino acids. How this process is regulated, however, is not well understood. Sinclair et al. investigate and find that the System L amino-acid transporter, Slc7a5, which mediates the uptake of large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) such as leucine, was required for T cell activation in mice. In response to activation, T cells increased their expression of Slc7a5 and their uptake of LNAAs in a Slc7a5-dependent manner. T cells from mice with a T cell-specific deletion of Slc7a5 did not proliferate well or acquire effector cell functions in response to activating stimuli.
展开▼
