Single-Cell Transcriptional Profiling Reveals Signatures of Helper, Effector, and Regulatory MAIT Cells during Homeostasis and Activation.

ABSTRACT: Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like lymphocytes that recognize microbial vitamin B metabolites and have emerging roles in infectious disease, autoimmunity, and cancer. Although MAIT cells are identified by a semi-invariant TCR, their phenotypic and functional heterogeneity is not well understood. Here we present an integrated single cell transcriptomic analysis of over 76,000 human MAIT cells during early and prolonged Ag-specific activation with the MR1 ligand 5-OP-RU and nonspecific TCR stimulation. We show that MAIT cells span a broad range of homeostatic, effector, helper, tissue-infiltrating, regulatory, and exhausted phenotypes, with distinct gene expression programs associated with CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ coexpression. During early activation, MAIT

SUBMITTER: Vorkas CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9012082 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature