Hedgehog signalling in peripheral T cell differentiation and function

T细胞是一种白细胞，它使我们能够抵抗传染病，帮助我们摆脱癌症。它们之所以重要，不仅因为它们可以攻击病原体和癌细胞本身，还因为它们控制着其他细胞类型的免疫反应。该项目将研究三种被称为刺猬蛋白的蛋白质如何帮助控制T细胞功能。刺猬蛋白是一种分泌的分子，用于将信号从一个细胞传递给邻近的细胞。它们在胎儿发育过程中是必不可少的，因为它们控制着我们身体的形状和许多不同类型组织的形成。出生后，刺猬蛋白仍然非常重要，因为它们调节着我们体内许多自我更新的组织，比如肠道、皮肤和肺。刺猬蛋白也与癌症有关，由一些肿瘤分泌，抑制它们是治疗某些类型癌症的一种方法。该项目将研究刺猬蛋白给T细胞的信号以及刺猬蛋白如何影响免疫反应。我们还将测试肿瘤分泌Hedgehog蛋白对T细胞对肿瘤的反应有何影响。

T cells are white blood cells that enable us to fight infectious disease and help us to get rid of cancer. They are important both because they can attack pathogens and cancer cells themselves and also because they control the immune response of other cell types. This project will investigate how three proteins called Hedgehog proteins help to control T cell function. Hedgehog proteins are molecules that are secreted to send signals from one cell to other neighbouring cells. They are essential during development in the foetus as they control the shape of our bodies and the formation of many different types of tissue. After birth Hedgehog proteins are still very important because they regulate many self-renewing tissues in our bodies, such as gut and skin and lung. Hedgehog proteins are also involved in cancer and are secreted by some tumours and inhibiting them is a treatment for some types of cancer. This project will investigate what signals Hedgehog proteins give to T cells and how Hedgehog proteins influence the immune response. We will also test what effect secretion of Hedgehog proteins by tumours has on the way T cells respond to the tumour.