Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
Mol Immunol. 2018 Nov;103:46-54. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2018.08.022. Epub 2018 Sep 6.
Mucosal-associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells represent a large proportion of T cells in human blood, and are also present throughout the body, being concentrated at mucosal sites. Their high level of conservation throughout mammalian evolution and recognition of conserved microbial antigens, derived from precursors of riboflavin (vitamin B2) biosynthesis, suggest an important role in protective immunity to pathogens. However, the picture that is emerging of MAIT cell immune function is increasingly complex, with numerous correlations of MAIT cell numbers with human diseases, and with recent studies demonstrating their pathogenic potential. The conditions that drive MAIT cell responses towards a protective versus pathogenic role are only beginning to be deciphered and, yet, must be understood for any attempt to harness MAIT cells therapeutically. In this review we summarise our current knowledge of immune protection and pathology driven by MAIT cells, models used to study their role in immunity and steps towards elucidating the immune signals driving these responses.
黏膜相关不变 T（MAIT）细胞在人体血液中代表了很大一部分 T 细胞，并且也存在于全身，集中在黏膜部位。它们在哺乳动物进化过程中的高度保守性以及对来源于核黄素（维生素 B2）生物合成前体的保守微生物抗原的识别，表明它们在对病原体的保护性免疫中具有重要作用。然而，MAIT 细胞免疫功能的情况越来越复杂，大量研究表明 MAIT 细胞数量与人类疾病相关，并且最近的研究表明它们具有潜在的致病性。驱动 MAIT 细胞反应从保护性向致病性作用的条件才刚刚开始被揭示，然而，为了任何试图利用 MAIT 细胞进行治疗的尝试，都必须理解这些条件。在这篇综述中，我们总结了我们目前对 MAIT 细胞驱动的免疫保护和病理学的认识，以及用于研究它们在免疫中的作用的模型，并朝着阐明驱动这些反应的免疫信号迈出了一步。
