Neonatal life is marked by rapid antigen exposure, necessitating establishment of peripheral immune tolerance via conversion of naive CD4+ T cells into Tregs. We demonstrated heightened capacity for FOXP3 expression and tolerogenic function among cord blood versus adult blood naive CD4+ T cells. Further, this was linked to a distinct cord blood metabolic profile and elevated neonatal expression of the NADase, CD38. Early-life naive CD4+ T cells demonstrated a metabolic preference for glycolysis, which directly facilitated their differentiation trajectory. We revealed an age-dependent gradient in CD38 levels on naive CD4+ T cells and showed that high CD38 expression contributes to the glycolytic state and tolerogenic potential of neonatal CD4+ T cells, effects mediated at least partly via the NAD-dependent deacetylase SIRT1. Thus, the early-life window for peripheral tolerance in humans is critically enabled by the immunometabolic state of the naive CD4+ compartment.
Laura R. Dwyer, Andrea M. DeRogatis, Sean Clancy, Victoire Gouirand, Charles Chien, Elizabeth E. Rogers, Scott P. Oltman, Laura L. Jelliffe-Pawlowski, Theo van den Broek, Femke van Wijk, Susan V. Lynch, Rachel L. Rutishauser, Allon Wagner, Alexis J. Combes, Tiffany C. Scharschmidt
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