EASTBIO: How do B cells fuel protein production?

B lymphocytes (B cells) are a critical component of the body’s immune system. B cells produce antibodies which bind to pathogens such as viruses and bacteria and target them for destruction. Short-lived and long-lived antibody producing B cells are essential for providing rapid and durable protection against infection and for maintaining health. B cells have huge capacity for protein production, with each B cell capable of producing up to 10,000 antibodies every second. This enormous scale of protein production is metabolically demanding and requires the uptake of huge quantities of extracellular nutrients and amino acids. However, little is known about the machinery that are required for fuelling antibody production in B cells, and the specific nutrient and amino acid transporters that are used to fuel B cells have yet to be characterised. This project will identify the transporters that are required for B cell function and elucidate the impact of modulating transporter expression on B cell phenotypes. Using high-sensitivity quantitative proteomics along with publicly available transcriptomic data we will map the repertoire of transporters expressed on B cells and how these transporters are modulated in different tissues and in response to disease. Using targeted gene editing, the impact of modulating transporter expression will be examined in vitro. This project will provide novel mechanistic insights into how B cells fuel and sustain antibody production which will be invaluable for translating into ageing and disease settings in the future. This project will also provide the ideal opportunity to master a range of molecular biology skills at the forefront of the field including quantitative proteomics, big data and gene editing.