Sphingosine-1-Phosphate as the Lymphocyte's Ticket to Ride and Survive

An established role of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 in T cells is to guide their exit from lymph nodes. Reporting in Nature, Mendoza et al. (2017) now show that lymphatic endothelial sphingosine 1-phosphate signals through sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 to prevent mitochondria degradation and thereby support survival of naive T cells. An established role of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 in T cells is to guide their exit from lymph nodes. Reporting in Nature, Mendoza et al. (2017) now show that lymphatic endothelial sphingosine 1-phosphate signals through sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 to prevent mitochondria degradation and thereby support survival of naive T cells.