Grant: Operating Grant

The intrinsic ability of the immune system to discriminate between self and non-self is crucial in the prevention or elimination of infection and disease. Our capacity to recognize disease-causing foreign invaders is dependent on the innate immune response while establishing a long-lasted memory to encountered pathogens depends on the adaptive immune response. Central to this arm of the immune response are the T cells which get activated when they encounter antigen-experienced cells of the innate immune response and information about the invading pathogen is exchanged. This is called antigen presentation and is ultimately responsible for activating the T cells. The activation of T cell is a well-orchestrated affair starting with the specific recognition of the antigen presenting cell by its major surface receptor, the T cell receptor (TCR). This high affinity recognition sets off a signaling cascade which involves a myriad of proteins and ions involved in several aspects of the T cell physiology. One of these ions is Zinc (Zn), an essential metal ion scarcely found in nature, has been shown to be crucial for establishing an effective immune response. However, its specific role in T cell activation is still poorly understood. This research proposal aims to elucidate the role of Zn in T cells and enable them to fulfill their functional role as master orchestrators of the immune response. We will first determine what sets of genes are involved in T cell Zn homeostasis and then determine their role by altering their expression level in the T cells to analyze the impact on cell activation of cellular functions. Findings made from this research will enlighten us into the importance of Zn in T cell physiology and may also allow us to propose new avenues of research to further control the activated stated of T cells in diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity.