Mitochondrial respiration provides reducing power to the electron transport chain (ETC), driving proton pumping and ATP synthesis required for T cell activation and differentiation. Here, the authors use alternative oxidase (AOX) as a mechanistic probe to bypass cytochrome c oxidase deficiency and thereby isolate the role of respiration and demonstrate that intact mitochondrial respiration is important for T cell proliferation, effector function, memory formation, and regulation of apoptotic and metabolic signaling pathways.
- Tatiana N. Tarasenko
- Emily Warren
- Peter J. McGuire