Intestinal CD8⁺ T cell responses are abundantly induced early in human development but show impaired cytotoxic effector capacities.

ABSTRACT: Gastrointestinal viral infections are a major global cause of disease and mortality in infants. Cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells are critical to achieve viral control. However, studies investigating the development of CD8⁺ T cell immunity in human tissues early in life are lacking. Here, we investigated the maturation of the CD8⁺ T cell compartment in human fetal, infant and adult intestinal tissues. CD8⁺ T cells exhibiting a memory phenotype were already detected in fetal intestines and increased after birth. Infant intestines preferentially harbored effector CCR7^-CD45RA^-CD127^-KLRG1^+/- CD8⁺ T cells compared to tissue-resident memory CD69⁺CD103⁺CD8⁺ T cells detected in

SUBMITTER: Schreurs RRCE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8075922 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature