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  2. Stress-Induced Metabolic Disorder in Peripheral CD4+ T Cells Leads to Anxiety-like Behavior

Stress-Induced Metabolic Disorder in Peripheral CD4+ T Cells Leads to Anxiety-like Behavior

  • Cell. 2019 Oct 31;179(4):864-879.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.001.
Ke-Qi Fan 1 Yi-Yuan Li 1 Hao-Li Wang 1 Xin-Tao Mao 1 Jin-Xin Guo 1 Fei Wang 1 Ling-Jie Huang 2 Yi-Ning Li 1 Xiang-Yu Ma 3 Zheng-Jun Gao 1 Wei Chen 4 Dan-Dan Qian 5 Wen-Jin Xue 5 Qian Cao 2 Lei Zhang 2 Li Shen 1 Long Zhang 1 Chao Tong 1 Jiang-Yan Zhong 1 Wei Lu 5 Ling Lu 6 Ke-Ming Ren 2 Guisheng Zhong 7 Yuan Wang 4 Mingliang Tang 5 Xin-Hua Feng 1 Ren-Jie Chai 8 Jin Jin 9
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection and Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
  • 2 Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China.
  • 3 Key Laboratory for Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Ministry of Education, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China.
  • 4 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China.
  • 5 Key Laboratory for Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Ministry of Education, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
  • 6 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, Jiangsu, China.
  • 7 iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
  • 8 Key Laboratory for Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Ministry of Education, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Province High-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 9 MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection and Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract

Physical or mental stress leads to neuroplasticity in the brain and increases the risk of depression and anxiety. Stress exposure causes the dysfunction of peripheral T lymphocytes. However, the pathological role and underlying regulatory mechanism of peripheral T lymphocytes in mood disorders have not been well established. Here, we show that the lack of CD4+ T cells protects mice from stress-induced anxiety-like behavior. Physical stress-induced leukotriene B4 triggers severe mitochondrial fission in CD4+ T cells, which further leads to a variety of behavioral abnormalities including anxiety, depression, and social disorders. Metabolomic profiles and single-cell transcriptome reveal that CD4+ T cell-derived xanthine acts on oligodendrocytes in the left amygdala via Adenosine Receptor A1. Mitochondrial fission promotes the de novo synthesis of purine via interferon regulatory factor 1 accumulation in CD4+ T cells. Our study implicates a critical link between a purine metabolic disorder in CD4+ T cells and stress-driven anxiety-like behavior.

Keywords

AdorA1; IRF-1; T cell; amygdala; anxiety; leukotriene B4; purine metabolism; stress; xanthine.

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