Zinc, oxidative stress and T lymphocyte signalling

该研究计划一直在研究锌在免疫功能和抗氧化防御中的作用。 我们已经发现，锌缺乏不会改变胸腺中发育中的T细胞的比例。 然而，当分析血液和脾脏中T细胞的亚型时，锌缺乏会降低新释放的T细胞（在胸腺中产生）的比例。 我们还发现，在缺锌大鼠胸腺和脾脏的T细胞中，一种名为“Lck”的蛋白质含量升高。 我们提出，与锌缺乏相关的氧化应激和细胞内游离锌的变化有助于改变细胞信号传导和免疫细胞类型和功能的变化。 本申请的总体目标是确定锌缺乏和氧化应激对T细胞信号传导的各种组分的影响以及与细胞应激和细胞内锌的标志物的关系。 另一个目的是研究在慢性氧化应激模型中饮食锌缺乏和锌补充对T细胞亚群和T细胞功能的影响。 该研究计划有助于对营养免疫学的基础科学理解。

The research program has been investigating the role of zinc in immune function and antioxidant defense. We have found that zinc deficiency does not alter the proportions of developing T cells in the thymus. However, zinc deficiency reduces the proportion of the newly released T cells (which were produced in the thymus) when the subtypes of T cells in the blood and spleen are analyzed. We have also found that a protein called 'Lck' is elevated in the T cells from the thymus and spleen of zinc-deficient rats. We are proposing that the oxidative stress associated with zinc deficiency and changes in the intracellular free zinc contribute to altered cell signaling and the changes in immune cell types and functions. The overall objective of the current application is to determine the effects of zinc deficiency and oxidative stress on various components of T cell signaling and the relationships with markers of cellular stress and intracellular zinc. Another objective is to investigate the effects of dietary zinc deficiency and zinc supplementation on T cell subpopulations and T cell function in a model of chronic oxidative stress. This research program contributes to the basic sciences understanding of nutritional immunology.