Functional Expression of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Channels (TRPV) in T cells And Macrophages: Their Implications in Immune Regulations and infection

<strong>SPECIAL CENTRE FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY</strong> <strong>SPEAKER: DR. CHANDAN GOSWAMI </strong> School of Biology, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Institute of Physics Campus, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar, Orissa: Email: chandan@niser.ac.in <strong>TALK TITLE: Functional Expression of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Channels (TRPV) in T cells And Macrophages: Their Implications in Immune Regulations and infection</strong> <strong>ABSTRACT: </strong>The importance of Ca2+-signaling and temperature in the context of T cell activation is well known. However, the molecular identities of key players involved in such critical regulations are still unknown. In this work we explored the endogenous expression of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid channels, a group of thermosensitive and non-selective cation channels, in T cells. Using flowcytometry and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that members belonging to TRPV subfamily are expressed endogenously in the human T cell line Jurkat, in primary human T cells and in primary murine splenic T cells. We also demonstrate that TRPV1- and TRPV4-specific agonists namely RTX and 4?PDD can cause Ca2+-influx in T cells. Moreover, our results show that expression of these channels could be up-regulated in T cells during ConA-driven mitogenic activation of T cells. By specific blocking of TRPV1 and TRPV4 channels, we found that these TRPV inhibitors may regulate T cell activation and effector cytokine(s) production by suppressing TNF, IL-2 and IFN? release. These results may have broad implication in the context of cell-mediated immunity, especially T cell responses and their regulations, neuro-immune interactions and molecular understanding of channelopathies. In addition to T-cells, our recent results with macrophages suggest that these channels also play an important role in macrophage functions and can be the key targets for several infections. <strong>DAY : Monday, 1st June'2015</strong>