Abstract
•Immunometabolism regulates activation status and functional differentiation of reacting immune cells through metabolic reprogramming.•Metabolic programming affects immune cell’s activation and their functional differentiation.•Metabolic regulome of Teffs and Tregs play a crucial role in the long-term survival of transplanted organ.•LKB1 is crucial for Treg survival and function.•LKB1 is a metabolic regulator that links cellular metabolism to immune cell functions.
Immunometabolism is a therapeutic strategy to tune immune cells through metabolic reprogramming, which allows immune cells to be differentiated according to their energy requirements. Recent therapeutic strategies targeting immunometabolism suggest that intracellular metabolic reprogramming controls T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation into effector (Teff) or regulatory (Treg) cells. Immunometabolism is being studied for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including those associated with solid organ transplantation (SOT). Here, we review immunometabolic regulation of immune cells, with a particular focus on Treg metabolic regulation and liver kinase B1 (LKB1) signaling, which stabilize Tregs and prevent inflammation-associated tissue injuries. All in all, here we discussed how targeting T cell immunometabolism modulates Teff and Treg-mediated immune responses, which can be used to boost Treg differentiation, stability, and ultimately favor immunotolerance in clinical transplants.