Pathophysiological Roles of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in the Context of Gut Microbiota-Liver Axis
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of T lymphocytes expressing a semi-invariant T-cell receptor (TCR) present as TCR α7.2- α33 in humans and TCR α19- α33 in mice. They are activated by ligands produced during microbial biosynthesis of riboflavin that is presented by major histo...
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Published in | Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 296 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Switzerland
MDPI AG
01.02.2021
MDPI |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of T lymphocytes expressing a semi-invariant T-cell receptor (TCR) present as TCR
α7.2-
α33 in humans and TCR
α19-
α33 in mice. They are activated by ligands produced during microbial biosynthesis of riboflavin that is presented by major histocompatibility complex class I-related (MR1) molecules on antigen-presenting cells. MAIT cells also possess interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18 receptors and can be activated by the respective cytokines released from microbially stimulated antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, MAIT cells can be involved in bacterial and viral defenses and are a significant part of the human immune system. They are particularly abundant in the liver, an organ serving as the second firewall of gut microbes next to the intestinal barrier. Therefore, the immune functions of MAIT cells are greatly impacted by changes in the gut-microbiota and play important roles in the gut-liver pathogenesis axis. In this review, we discuss the nature and mechanisms of MAIT cell activation and their dynamics during different types of liver pathogenesis conditions. We also share our perspectives on important aspects that should be explored further to reveal the exact roles that MAIT cells play in liver pathogenesis in the context of the gut microbiota. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 |
ISSN: | 2076-2607 2076-2607 |
DOI: | 10.3390/microorganisms9020296 |