The human immune system has evolved throughout history to effectively recognize and adapt to invading pathogens. To combat disease, the human body employs the immune system composed of two separate responses: innate and adaptive. The innate immune system is the first barrier of defense that elicits effective immunity and targets pathogens through general and broad mechanisms. Alternatively, the adaptive immune system is the secondary response that includes immune cells that specifically target markers on infected cells. The two responses work together to orchestrate robust immunity and provide the body with a ‘memory’ of specific strains of pathogen. This ‘memory’ helps the immune system recognize infections and disease faster in the future and eliminates the body’s need to trigger and complete immune response. In this case, immune cells are already primed and ready to target certain diseases. As a result, humans don’t get as sick when encountering diseases twice.
Scientists refer to the phenomenon that the immune system remembers pathogens as ‘immune memory’. Various immune cells are involved in this process; however, T cells have been a topic of specific interest over the last few years. T cells are a type of immune cell associated with the adaptive immune response. They are known to have cytotoxic functions and eliminate infections. Their role in the immune system is vital and many researchers measure their activity and presence as a readout for immunity. In different therapeutic studies, T cell function is analyzed to determine if therapies worked. Additionally, various subsets of T cells exist to help the body stay healthy. One subset includes tissue-resident memory T cells. This population is found strictly in tissue which were generated by a previous disease and don’t leave the tissue area. Tissue-resident memory T cells act as monitors to identify and target reoccurring disease in organs it inhabits. They also notify the rest of the immune system of infection to effectively eliminate disease. These cells have major implications for health and could be targeted to improve therapy.
A recent study in Nature, by Dr. Ananda Goldrath and others, discovered new roles for tissue-resident T cells in the small intestine. Goldrath is the Executive Vice President and Director of the Allen Institute for Immunology in Seattle, Washington. She was previously the Tata Chancellor’s Professor in the School of Biological Sciences in the Molecular Biology Department at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Goldrath’s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying T cell memory and differentiation in response to disease. Her work has been premiered in respected journals and she has garnered recognition for her in T cell biology.
Goldrath and her team demonstrated that tissue-resident T cells in the small intestine have various roles and their location and position inside the gut dictate’s function. T cells on the villi of the intestines act as “guards” with an extremely efficient cytotoxic or killing capacity. They work to eliminate the spread of infection. There are also T cells in pockets within the villi that are prepared to respond and elicit robust immunity. It is fascinating because scientists have discovered that cells strategically position themselves to complete their function. This groundbreaking discovery has never been reported
This discovery provides insights into the adaptability and function of memory T cells. Specifically, the understanding of how they shape and interact with other cells in their environment is foundational to the work in T cell research. These findings have the potential to improve T cell-based therapies and better inform physicians about disease. Overall, it will advance the field of biology and enhance patient treatment.
Study, Nature, Ananda Goldrath, Allen Institute for Immunology, UCSD
