Extracellular Tuning of Mitochondrial Respiration Leads to Aortic Aneurysm
Background: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of the connective tissue caused by mutations in the FBN1 (fibrillin-1) gene encoding a large glycoprotein in the extracellular matrix called fibrillin-1. The major complication of this connective disorder is the risk to develop thoracic aortic aneurysm. To date, no effective pharmacologic therapies have been identified […]
Hallmarks of T cell aging.
The aged adaptive immune system is characterized by progressive dysfunction as well as increased autoimmunity. This decline is responsible for elevated susceptibility to infection and cancer, as well as decreased vaccination efficacy. Recent evidence indicates that CD4+ T cell-intrinsic alteratins contribute to chronic inflammation and are sufficient to accelerate an organism-wide aging phenotype, supporting the […]
Mitochondrial dysfunction defines T cell exhaustion
When T cells are exposed to continuous antigen stimulation, they become exhausted. Here, we preview findings from Scharping et al. (2021), who have illuminated the molecular mechanism by which the persistent antigen stimulation and severe hypoxic conditions in the intratumoral environment drive T cell exhaustion, losing their cytotoxic function and anticancer effects.