Circulating mucosal‐associated invariant T cells in subjects with recurrent urinary tract infections are functionally impaired

• Published in: Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 80 - 92
• Main Authors: Terpstra, Matty L., Remmerswaal, Ester B. M., Aalderen, Michiel C., Wever, Joyce J., Sinnige, Marjan J., Bom‐Baylon, Nelly D., Bemelman, Frederike J., Geerlings, Suzanne E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Aged; Antibiotics; Antigens; Bacteria; Cytokines - metabolism; E coli; Escherichia coli - physiology; Female; Flow Cytometry; Hormone replacement therapy; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; MAIT cells; Middle Aged; Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells - immunology; Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells - pathology; Original Research; Phenotype; Recurrence; recurrent urinary tract infection; renal transplantation; Transcription factors; Transplants & implants; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Urinary tract diseases; Urinary tract infections; Urinary Tract Infections - immunology; Urinary Tract Infections - pathology; Urogenital system; MAIT cells; renal transplantation; recurrent urinary tract infection
• ISSN: 2050-4527; 2050-4527
• DOI: 10.1002/iid3.287

Background Urinary tract infection recurrence is common, particularly in women and immunocompromised patients, such as renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells play a role in the antibacterial response by recognizing bacterial riboflavin metabolites produced by bacteria such as Escherichia coli. Here, we investigated whether MAIT cells are involved in the pathogenesis of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs). Methods Using multichannel flow cytometry, we characterized the MAIT cell phenotype and function in blood from immunocompetent adults with (n = 13) and without RUTIs (n = 10) and in RTRs with (n = 9) and without RUTIs (n = 10). Results There were no differences in the numbers of MAIT cells between the study groups. MAIT cells in patients with RUTI expressed T‐bet more often than those in controls. MAIT cells from immunocompetent RUTI participants required more antigen‐presenting cells coincubated with E. coli to evoke a similar cytokine and degranulation response than those from controls. This effect was absent in the RTR with RUTI vs RTR control groups, where the overall percentage of MAIT cells that responded to stimulation was already reduced. Conclusion Circulating MAIT cells in immunocompetent individuals with RUTIs respond to bacterial stimuli with reduced efficacy, which suggests that they are involved in the pathogenesis of RUTIs. In this study, we investigated whether mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are involved in the pathogenesis of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs). Using multichannel flow cytometry, we characterized the MAIT cell phenotype and function in blood from immunocompetent adults with (n = 13) and without RUTIs (n = 10) and in renal transplant recipients with (n = 9) and without RUTIs (n = 10). Our results point out that circulating MAIT cells in subjects with RUTIs have functional impairments similar to those of MAIT cells in immunocompromised renal transplant recipients. This finding suggests that MAIT cells are involved in the pathophysiology of RUTIs.