Autophagy as a survival strategy for CD8+ memory T cells

• Applicant: Dr. Katrin Schlie
• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: from 2010 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 189854785

Introduction: After the body has faced and survived a disease, the immune system remembers that disease. This allows for a fast and effective immune response if a reinfection were to occur. The immune system´s memory may be sustained for several years and in some cases for the life time of the individual. But how is this remarkable feat accomplished? Upon infection, immune cells divide into a large number of specialized cells to fight the disease, but after the pathogen is eliminated most of these cells die except for a small minority, the long-lived „memory“ cell population. These memory cells face hostile conditions during there life, but surprisingly they have the ability to survive for a long time. Goal: The goal of our research is to understand how memory cells sustain themselves and survive for the lifespan of the host. Approach: We believe that memory cells survive through a unique process called autophagy. Autophagy is turned on in response to unfavourable conditions, such as low nutrient or growth factor concentrations, to promote cell survival. During autophagy, the cells digest themselves to produce energy by recycling unused or unnecessary parts of the cell to sustain life. With regard to this, we will investigate the following aims: 1. Do memory cells use autophagy to survive? 2. What factors induce autophagy in memory cells? 3. How is the induction of autophagy regulated in memory cells?

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Julian Lum, Ph.D.