04.10-11.24-HST-Wong

Conference Video|Duration: 33:58
April 10, 2024
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    T cells are pivotal in mounting protective responses against pathogens and tumors, yet their activity entails a critical balance to avoid detrimental host tissue damage. This trade-off necessitates mechanisms that continually adjust the magnitude of T-cell responses, both in time and space. In physiological tissue environments, such control involves coordinated communication among multiple cell types, resulting in intercellular regulatory circuits. While this concept has become increasingly appreciated, in most instances, it fails to account for a critical variable: not all tissues are the same. Indeed, tissues differ markedly in their functions, selection pressures, and capacities for regeneration, implying that the trade-offs between effective host defense and the risk of collateral damage may be tissue-specific. We hypothesized that T cell regulatory circuits are uniquely adapted to the specific demands and characteristics of each tissue type, leading to variable immune responses across the body. To explore this concept, we employed high-resolution multiplexed imaging and computational approaches to examine the baseline variations in regulatory circuits across different tissues, such as barrier sites, endocrine organs, and reproductive organs. Our preliminary data has revealed distinct patterns of T cell regulation that correlate with tissue-specific attributes, suggesting a nuanced framework of immune control that is finely adjusted to the local tissue context. These findings challenge the one-size-fits-all view of immune regulation and open new avenues for understanding how tissue-specific immune responses contribute to health and disease.

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    T cells are pivotal in mounting protective responses against pathogens and tumors, yet their activity entails a critical balance to avoid detrimental host tissue damage. This trade-off necessitates mechanisms that continually adjust the magnitude of T-cell responses, both in time and space. In physiological tissue environments, such control involves coordinated communication among multiple cell types, resulting in intercellular regulatory circuits. While this concept has become increasingly appreciated, in most instances, it fails to account for a critical variable: not all tissues are the same. Indeed, tissues differ markedly in their functions, selection pressures, and capacities for regeneration, implying that the trade-offs between effective host defense and the risk of collateral damage may be tissue-specific. We hypothesized that T cell regulatory circuits are uniquely adapted to the specific demands and characteristics of each tissue type, leading to variable immune responses across the body. To explore this concept, we employed high-resolution multiplexed imaging and computational approaches to examine the baseline variations in regulatory circuits across different tissues, such as barrier sites, endocrine organs, and reproductive organs. Our preliminary data has revealed distinct patterns of T cell regulation that correlate with tissue-specific attributes, suggesting a nuanced framework of immune control that is finely adjusted to the local tissue context. These findings challenge the one-size-fits-all view of immune regulation and open new avenues for understanding how tissue-specific immune responses contribute to health and disease.

Locked Interactive transcript