T Cell Metabolism Is Dependent on Anatomical Location within the Lung.

The metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis is universally accepted as a necessary step for immune cells to mount effector functions. However, it is unknown if this paradigm holds true for T cells regardless of anatomical location. In this study, we compared metabolic responses among distinct mouse pulmonary CD4 effector T cell (T) pools following intranasal vaccination with either or Surprisingly, in contrast to circulating CD4 T, upon ex vivo stimulation, resident CD4 T did not shift to glycolysis. This impairment in the resident pool was modestly overcome following in vivo infection. However, consistent with an ex vivo triggered shift toward glycolysis, circulating CD4 T remained superior compared with resident CD4 T after in vivo infection. These data indicate differences in lung T cell metabolism is associated with anatomic location, a feature which may be exploited to enhance or dampen pulmonary T cell responses.