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Immunity affects the psyche

31.10.2017

The task of T-lymphocytes is to destroy bacteria, infected cells and cells that have undergone malignant transformation. When a T-lymphocyte encounters something similar, it is activated, and, as a result, its metabolism changes - in an active state, the immune cell needs more energy and more raw materials for the synthesis of various molecules. Metabolic rearrangements in T cells have been known for a long time, but so far nothing has attempted to assess whether such changes in immune metabolism affect the body as a whole.

To find out, Michio Miyajima and his colleagues at the Institute for Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) bred a species of mice whose T cells did not have one of the surface receptors, a protein called PD-1. For immunity, the PD-1 receptor is very important: it receives signals that suppress the activity of T-lymphocytes. If PD-1 does not work, activated cells remain so, which is fraught with autoimmune disorders.

In the blood of mice with constantly active T-cells, the level of amino acids dropped, and at the same time, there were noticeably more amino acids in the T-cells themselves. Obviously, T-lymphocytes absorbed amino acids for their needs, because in the active form they synthesize many proteins necessary to attack the infection.

At the level of the organism as a whole, one could notice how amino acids are concentrated in the lymph nodes, where T-cells are especially numerous. Did it affect the state of other organs? Yes, it did: according to the researchers, brain neurons produced less of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine due to too active immunity. For their synthesis, the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan are needed, and since there are not enough amino acids, then neurotransmitters have decreased.

Serotonin and dopamine are necessary for different nerve chains, in particular, the work of the brain centers responsible for emotions and motivation depends on them. And the mice did begin to behave differently: they became more restless and less able to cope with fear. The behavior of the animals returned to normal if they were given food with a high content of the necessary amino acids.

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