MAIT Cells in Health and Disease

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells have been attracting increasing attention over the last few years as a potent unconventional T cell subset. Three factors largely account for this emerging interest. Firstly, these cells are abundant in humans, both in circulation and especially in some ti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of immunology 2020-04, Vol.38 (1), p.203-228
Main Authors: Provine, Nicholas M, Klenerman, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
bacterial infection
Biomarkers
Disease Susceptibility
Homeostasis
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Immunity, Mucosal
MAIT cell
mucosal immunity
Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells - immunology
Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells - metabolism
Mucous Membrane - immunology
Mucous Membrane - metabolism
Mucous Membrane - microbiology
Signal Transduction
T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology
T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism
tissue repair
unconventional T cell
viral infection
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Summary:Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells have been attracting increasing attention over the last few years as a potent unconventional T cell subset. Three factors largely account for this emerging interest. Firstly, these cells are abundant in humans, both in circulation and especially in some tissues such as the liver. Secondly is the discovery of a ligand that has uncovered their microbial targets, and also allowed for the development of tools to accurately track the cells in both humans and mice. Finally, it appears that the cells not only have a diverse range of functions but also are sensitive to a range of inflammatory triggers that can enhance or even bypass T cell receptor-mediated signals-substantially broadening their likely impact in health and disease. In this review we discuss how MAIT cells display antimicrobial, homeostatic, and amplifier roles in vivo, and how this may lead to protection and potentially pathology.
ISSN:0732-0582
1545-3278
DOI:10.1146/annurev-immunol-080719-015428