Dietary Zinc Deficiency in Rodents Effects on T-Cell Development, Maturation and Phenotypes.docVIP

Nutrients 2012, 4, 449-466; doi:10.3390/nu4060449 OPEN ACCESS nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 /journal/nutrients Review Dietary Zinc Deficiency in Rodents: Effects on T-Cell Development, Maturation and Phenotypes Heather J. Blewett 1,2 and Carla G. Taylor 1,2,* 1 Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6, Canada; E-Mail: hblewett@sbrc.ca 2 Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ctaylor@cc.umanitoba.ca; Tel.: +1-204-258-1361; Fax: +1-204-237-4018. Received: 17 April 2012; in revised form: 17 May 2012 / Accepted: 29 May 2012 / Published: 6 June 2012 Abstract: Zinc deficiency is one of the leading risk factors for developing disease and yet we do not have a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind the increased susceptibility to infection. This review will examine the interrelationships among the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal stress axis, p56lck, and T-cell maturation in both zinc deficiency and responses during zinc repletion. We will highlight differences between the adult mouse model (wasting malnutrition) and growing rat model (stunting malnutrition) of dietary zinc deficiency and discuss the use of various controls to separate out the effects of zinc deficiency from the associated malnutrition. Elevated serum corticosterone in both zinc deficient and pair-fed rats does not support the hypothesis that zinc deficiency per se leads to corticosterone-induced apoptosis and lymphopenia. In fact, the zinc deficient rat does not have lymphopenia. Thymocytes from zinc deficient mice and rats have elevated levels of p56lck, a signalling protein with a zinc clasp structure, but this does not appear to affect thymocyte maturation. However, post-thymic T-cell maturation appears to be altered based on the lower proportion of splenic