Bidirectional crosstalk between T lymphocytes and airway smooth muscle

T细胞与气道平滑肌（ASM）细胞接触触发其生长，进而促进T细胞的存活和增殖。干扰接触增强T细胞凋亡，也干扰ASM增殖。细胞间通信的一种新方法是通过纳米管，从T细胞到ASM的薄细胞投影。我们证明抗凋亡因子如Bcl2和Mcl1存在于纳米管中，我们观察到线粒体从ASM转移到T细胞。我们已经证明了碱性成纤维细胞生长因子-2 （bFGF-2）在纳米管形成中的作用（附录4）。然而，我们对这些细胞类型之间通过纳米管进行通信的生物学后果知之甚少。一般的假设是CD4+ T细胞通过纳米管与ASM细胞交流，从而影响ASM和T细胞生物学。为了了解T细胞和ASM细胞之间纳米管形成的生物学后果，纳米管形成的驱动因素以及细胞间通信导致的细胞特性的改变，我们将进行以下一般研究领域：

Contact of T cells with airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells triggers its growth and in turn ASM enhances T cell survival and proliferation. Interfering with contact augments T cell apoptosis and also interferes with ASM proliferation. A novel method of communication between the cells is through nanotubes, thin cellular projections from T cells to ASM. We demonstrated that anti-apoptotic factors such as Bcl2 and Mcl1 were present within the nanotubes and we have observed mitochondrial transfer from ASM to T cells. We have demonstrated a role for basic fibroblast growth factor-2 (bFGF-2) in nanotube formation (Appendix 4). However we know little of the biological consequences of communication via nanotubes between these cell types. The general hypothesis is that CD4+ T cells communicate with ASM cells via nanotubes that affect both ASM and T cell biology. To understand the biological consequences of nanotube formation between T cells and ASM cells, the drivers of the nanotube formation and the alterations in properties of the cells consequent upon this intercellular communication we will pursue the following general areas of research: