Metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, have emerged as major global health challenges. Recent research has revealed a complex interplay between metabolism and the immune system, with mass cytometry (CyTOF) playing a crucial role in unraveling these intricate connections.
Immune Cell Metabolism in Obesity and Diabetes
The landmark study by Kratz et al. (2014) in Cell Metabolism, cited almost 800 times, laid the groundwork for understanding how metabolic dysfunction affects immune cell function, particularly in adipose tissue macrophages. Building on this foundation, recent CyTOF studies have provided even deeper insights into the immune-metabolic interface.
A pivotal study by Böhme et al. et al. (2020) published in Nature Communications, “Metformin enhances anti-mycobacterial responses by educating CD8+ T-cell immunometabolic circuits,” used CyTOF to show that metformin treatment expands a population of memory-like antigen-inexperienced CD8+CXCR3+ T cells in naive mice, and in healthy individuals and patients with T2D. This work demonstrated how metabolic interventions can have far-reaching effects on immune responses, potentially explaining some of the pleiotropic benefits of metformin.
Restricted content
You must be logged in and have a valid subscription to see this content. Please visit our subscription page for more info. If you are already a VIP member, be sure you are logged in with the same email address you made your purchase.
