Destructive T cells lured by lipids

T cells that are drawn to the airways by leukotrienes attack lung tissue and contribute to transplant rejection, according to Medoff and colleagues on page 97. Mice lacking the leukotriene receptor BLT1 were protected from lethal T cell attack. The authors thus suggest that drugs designed to block this receptor may have therapeutic potential in patients who develop a lethal complication of lung transplant called obliterative bronchiolitis.

T cell recruitment to sites of inflammation has traditionally been thought to depend primarily on the interaction between chemotactic peptides (chemokines), produced by cells in the inflamed tissue, and their corresponding receptors on T cells. However, chemotactic lipid mediators such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins—known for attracting neutrophils and eosinophils—have recently been shown to contribute to T...