bims-maitce Biomed News
on MAIT cells
Issue of 2025–03–02
two papers selected by
Andy E. Hogan, Maynooth University
  1. IL-23 tunes inflammatory functions of human mucosal-associated invariant T cells.
  2. The Role of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Viral Infections and Their Function in Vaccine Development.
  1. iScience. 2025 Feb 21. 28(2): 111898
    IL-23 tunes inflammatory functions of human mucosal-associated invariant T cells.
    Laetitia Camard, Tharshana Stephen, Hanane Yahia-Cherbal, Vincent Guillemot, Sébastien Mella, Victoire Baillet, Hélène Lopez-Maestre, Daniele Capocefalo, Laura Cantini, Claire Leloup, Julie Marsande, Katherine Garro, Juan Sienes Bailo, Ambre Dangien, Natalia Pietrosemoli, Milena Hasan, Huimeng Wang, Sidonia B G Eckle, Anne M Fourie, Carrie Greving, Barbara Joyce-Shaikh, Raphaelle Parker, Daniel J Cua, Elisabetta Bianchi, Lars Rogge.
      IL-23 signaling plays a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases, yet the cellular targets and signaling pathways affected by this cytokine remain poorly understood. We show that IL-23 receptors are expressed on the large majority of human mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT), but not of conventional T cells. Protein and transcriptional profiling at the population and single cell level demonstrates that stimulation with IL-23 or the structurally related cytokine IL-12 drives distinct functional profiles, revealing a high level of plasticity of MAIT cells. IL-23, in particular, affects key molecules and pathways related to autoimmunity and cytotoxic functions. Integrated analysis of transcriptomes and chromatin accessibility, supported by CRISPR-Cas9 mediated deletion, shows that AP-1 transcription factors constitute a key regulatory node of the IL-23 pathway in MAIT cells. In conclusion, our findings indicate that MAIT cells are key mediators of IL-23 functions in immunity to infections and chronic inflammatory diseases.
    Keywords:  Immunology; Transcriptomics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.111898
  2. Vaccines (Basel). 2025 Feb 02. pii: 155. [Epub ahead of print]13(2):
    The Role of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Viral Infections and Their Function in Vaccine Development.
    Chie Sugimoto, Hiroshi Wakao.
      Mucosal-Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells, which bridge innate and adaptive immunity, have emerged as an important player in viral infections despite their inability to directly recognize viral antigens. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of MAIT cell responses across different viral infections, revealing consistent patterns in their behavior and function. We discuss the dynamics of MAIT cells during various viral infections, including changes in their frequency, activation status, and functional characteristics. Particular attention is given to emerging strategies for MAIT-cell-targeted vaccine development, including the use of MR1 ligands as mucosal adjuvants and the activation of MAIT cells through viral vectors and mRNA vaccines. Current knowledge of MAIT cell biology in viral infections provides promising approaches for harnessing their functions in vaccine development.
    Keywords:  innate-like T cells; mucosal-associated invariant T cells; vaccine; viral infection
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13020155
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