T cells, biology textbooks teach us, are the soldiers of the immune system, constantly on the ready to respond to a variety of threats, from viruses to tumors. However, without rest and maintenance T cells can die and leave their hosts more susceptible to pathogens, Yale scientists report May 27 in the journal Science.
“We may have to change how we teach T cell biology,” said Lieping Chen, the United Technologies Corporation Professor in Cancer Research at Yale and professor of immunobiology, of dermatology, and of medicine and senior author of the study.
Until pathogens are detected, T cells remain in a quiescent state. However, the molecular mechanisms that keep T cells inactive were previously unknown.
In the new study, Yale researchers show that a protein known as CD8a — ...
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