You’re invited to enjoy pizza at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, April 20, at the Biology Auditorium.
Talk Abstract:
T cell aging is driven not only by changes within the cells themselves, but also by signals from their surrounding environment. In the Ron-Harel lab, we study how different tissues shape the aging of immune cells.
We recently discovered that T cells age at different rates depending on where they reside in the body. In particular, T cells from the spleen show a greater decline in function than those from lymph nodes. We found that this difference is linked to increased levels of heme and iron in the aged spleen, which create a toxic environment for these cells.
In this seminar, I will describe how T cells adapt to this stress by limiting their internal iron levels, allowing them to avoid a form of cell death known as ferroptosis. I will also present evidence that boosting iron levels after vaccination can improve immune responses in aged mice. Finally, I will discuss our ongoing work exploring how heme and iron contribute more broadly to age-related immune dysfunction, including chronic inflammation and the accumulation of highly differentiated T cells.
Some details about her research and publications can be found at:
https://www.ronharellab.com/
