The role of CD44 in the bidirectional crosstalk between T lymphocytes and airway smooth muscle

淋巴细胞是获得性免疫的中心细胞。当两种细胞类型接触时，T细胞可以引起平滑肌细胞增殖，平滑肌细胞是血管、气道和各种中空器官壁功能所必需的收缩细胞。这种性质可能具有重要的生理功能，例如确定健康组织的质量和增加疾病组织的质量。导致T细胞粘附于肌肉细胞的分子包括CD44，一种蛋白质受体，用于围绕细胞的基质或基质，更具体地说是透明质酸。CD44与一种名为基质金属蛋白酶9的蛋白质相连，该蛋白质可以从细胞膜上切割生长因子，导致肌肉细胞生长。T细胞也通过形成纳米管与肌肉细胞进行交流，纳米管可以延伸很长的距离。这些管的功能尚未确定，但我们相信它们能够允许信号从肌肉传递到T细胞，反之亦然。这项资助旨在阐明导致纳米管形成的因素，并确定细胞之间交换的生理信号。

The lymphocyte is a central cell in adaptive immunity. The T cell may cause smooth muscle cells, contractile cells that are essential to the function of blood vessels, airways, and the walls of various hollow organs, to proliferate when the two cell types are in contct. This property may have important physiological functions such as determining the mass of tissues in health and increasing its mass in disease. The molecules that cause the T cells to adhere to muscle cells include CD44, a protein receptor, for the ground substance or matrix that surrounds cells, more specifically hyaluronic acid. CD44 is linked to a protein called matrix metalloproteinase 9 which may cleave growth factors from the cell membrane, causing the muscle cells to grow. The T cell communicates with the muscle cells also through the formation of nanotubes which can extend over substantial distances. The functions of these tubes has not yet been established but we believe them to be capable of allowing the passage of signals from muscle to T cell and vice versa. This grant is aimed at elucidating the factors that lead to the formation of nanotubes and determining the physiolgical signals that are exchanged between the cells.