Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increase T-lymphocyte phospholipid mass and acyl-CoA binding protein expression

Effects of fatty acids on T cell function: role in atherosclerosis

T cells are among the most common cell types present in atherosclerotic plaques and are increasingly being recognized as a central mediator in atherosclerosis development and progression. At the same time, triglycerides and fatty acids have re-emerged as crucial risk factors for atherosclerosis. Triglycerides and fatty acids are important components of the milieu to which the T cell is exposed from the circulation to the plaque, and increasing evidence shows that fatty acids influence T cell function. In this Review, we discuss the effects of fatty acids on four components of the T cell response - metabolism, activation, proliferation and polarization - and the influence of these changes on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We also discuss how quiescent T cells can undergo a type of metabolic reprogramming induced by exposure to fatty acids in the circulation that influences the subsequent functions of T cells after activation, such as in atherosclerotic plaques.

The Influence of Dietary Fatty Acids on Immune Responses

Diet-derived fatty acids (FAs) are essential sources of energy and fundamental structural components of cells. They also play important roles in the modulation of immune responses in health and disease. Saturated and unsaturated FAs influence the effector and regulatory functions of innate and adaptive immune cells by changing membrane composition and fluidity and by acting through specific receptors. Impaired balance of saturated/unsaturated FAs, as well as n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated FAs has significant consequences on immune system homeostasis, contributing to the development of many allergic, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. In this paper, we discuss up-to-date knowledge and the clinical relevance of the influence of dietary FAs on the biology, homeostasis, and functions of epithelial cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, innate lymphoid cells, T cells and B cells. Additionally, we review the effects of dietary FAs on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis as well as type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Role of lipids in the metabolism and activation of immune cells

Immune cell plasticity has extensive implications in the pathogenesis and resolution of metabolic disorders, cancers, autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory disorders. Over the past decade, nutritional status has been discovered to influence the immune response. In metabolic disorders such as obesity, immune cells interact with various classes of lipids, which are capable of controlling the plasticity of macrophages and T lymphocytes. The purpose of this review is to discuss lipids and their impact on innate and adaptive immune responses, focusing on two areas: (1) the impact of altering lipid metabolism on immune cell activation, differentiation and function and (2) the mechanism by which lipids such as cholesterol and fatty acids regulate immune cell plasticity.

NSAID use reduces breast cancer recurrence in overweight and obese women: role of prostaglandin-aromatase interactions

Obesity is associated with a worse breast cancer prognosis and elevated levels of inflammation, including greater cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and activity in adipose-infiltrating macrophages. The product of this enzyme, the proinflammatory eicosanoid prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), stimulates adipose tissue aromatase expression and subsequent estrogen production, which could promote breast cancer progression. This study demonstrates that daily use of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which inhibits COX-2 activity, is associated with reduced estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancer recurrence in obese and overweight women. Retrospective review of data from ERα-positive patients with an average body mass index of >30 revealed that NSAID users had a 52% lower recurrence rate and a 28-month delay in time to recurrence. To examine the mechanisms that may be mediating this effect, we conducted in vitro studies that utilized sera from obese and normal-weight patients with breast cancer. Exposure to sera from obese patients stimulated greater macrophage COX-2 expression and PGE2 production. This was correlated with enhanced preadipocyte aromatase expression following incubation in conditioned media (CM) collected from the obese-patient, sera-exposed macrophages, an effect neutralized by COX-2 inhibition with celecoxib. In addition, CM from macrophage/preadipocyte cocultures exposed to sera from obese patients stimulated greater breast cancer cell ERα activity, proliferation, and migration compared with sera from normal-weight patients, and these differences were eliminated or reduced by the addition of an aromatase inhibitor during CM generation. Prospective studies designed to examine the clinical benefit of NSAID use in obese patients with breast cancer are warranted.

n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids exert immunomodulatory effects on lymphocytes by targeting plasma membrane molecular organization

Fish oil, enriched in bioactive n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), has therapeutic value for the treatment of inflammation-associated disorders. The effects of n-3 PUFAs are pleiotropic and complex; hence, an understanding of their cellular targets and molecular mechanisms of action remains incomplete. Here we focus on recent data indicating n-3 PUFAs exert immunosuppressive effects on the function of effector and regulatory CD4(+) T cells. In addition, we also present emerging evidence that n-3 PUFAs have immunomodulatory effects on B cells. We then focus on one multifaceted mechanism of n-3 PUFAs, which is the alteration of the biophysical and biochemical organization of the plasma membrane. This mechanism is central for downstream signaling, eicosanoid production, transcriptional regulation and cytokine secretion. We highlight recent work demonstrating n-3 PUFA acyl chains in the plasma membrane target the lateral organization of membrane signaling assemblies (i.e. lipid rafts or signaling networks) and de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. We conclude by proposing new functional and mechanistic questions in this area of research that will aid in the development of fish oil as adjuvant therapy for treating unresolved chronic inflammation.

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 regulates murine T-lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production

We have previously established a correlation between reduced mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 (GPAT-1) activity and decreased proliferation in splenic T-lymphocytes from aged rats. To better understand the immunoregulatory role of GPAT-1, we examined T-lymphocyte function in young GPAT-1 knockout (KO) mice. We show that without GPAT-1, T-lymphocyte proliferation is inhibited and activation induced apoptosis is increased. Th-1 (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) cytokine secretion is reduced, and Th-2 (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine secretion is increased. These changes may be due to alterations in membrane lipid composition since we found changes in the relative content of individual phospholipid species. Furthermore, we show increased arachidonate content and subsequent increased prostaglandin E(2) secretion, which may inhibit T-lymphocyte proliferation. Taken together, we show a novel link between GPAT-1 and changes in T-lymphocyte function. These data have broad health implications because GPAT-1 suppression has recently been implicated as a new target for preventing insulin sensitivity and hepatic steatosis and we show that immune function may also be affected. Interestingly, the changes in young GPAT-1 KO splenic T-lymphocytes are similar to defects commonly seen in T-lymphocytes from aged rodents, which further underscores the significance of GPAT-1 in T-lymphocyte function.

Phosphorylation regulates mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate-1 acyltransferase activity in T-lymphocytes

Recently, we have shown that stimulation and recombinant ACBP increase mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (mtGPAT) activity in rat splenic T-lymphocytes and that this effect is blunted in aged T-lymphocytes. In addition to decreased mtGPAT activity, aged T-lymphocytes also have altered membrane lipid composition and decreased proliferation in response to antigen. Therefore, we wanted to determine the mechanism by which mtGPAT activity is regulated in aged T-lymphocytes. We show that aged T-lymphocyte mtGPAT activity is not increased by ex vivo stimulation or in vitro phosphorylation with casein kinase II and protein kinase C theta as is seen in young T-lymphocytes. However, other factors that might impact mtGPAT activity such as reduced mtGPAT protein levels, gene expression or alterations in the soluble acyl-CoA pool were not affected by age or stimulation. The age effect was also not compensated for by increased acyl-CoA binding protein expression in aged T-lymphocytes. Currently, two mitochondrial GPAT (mtGPAT) isoforms (mtGPAT1 and mtGPAT2) have been identified. We found that T-lymphocytes express mtGPAT1, but not mtGPAT2, suggesting that at least mtGPAT1 is sensitive to phosphorylation in vitro. Support for direct phosphorylation of mtGPAT1 in young T-lymphocytes is shown by mtGPAT1 immunoprecipitation where a phosphoprotein band was detected migrating at the same molecular weight (85 kDa) as mtGPAT1. This is significant because we also show that T-lymphocytes from mtGPAT1 KO mice have reduced proliferation ex vivo as is seen in aged T-lymphocytes. These data provide evidence for a novel mechanism by which T-lymphocyte proliferation may be regulated and, for the first time, give a potential mechanistic explanation for the correlation between reduced proliferation and membrane lipid changes seen in aged T-lymphocytes.