O'Neill Chloe, Cassidy Féaron C, O'Shea Donal, Hogan Andrew E
Lonsdale Human Health Institute, Maynooth University, W23 F2H6 Maynooth, Co Kildare, Ireland.
St Vincent's University Hospital, University College Dublin, D04 T6F4 Dublin, Ireland.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Mar 30;13(7):1582. doi: 10.3390/cancers13071582.
Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a population of unconventional T cells which can bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems. Well-described roles for MAIT cells include host protection against invading bacteria, fungi and viruses. Upon activation, MAIT cells become prolific effector cells, capable of producing a range of cytokines and lytic molecules. In addition to their anti-microbial role, MAIT cells have been implicated in immune responses to cancer, with opposing beneficial and pathogenic roles reported. On the one hand, MAIT cells can home to the site of the tumour in many human cancers and can produce anti-tumour molecules. On the other, MAIT cells can display defective phenotypes in certain cancers and produce pro-tumour molecules. In this review, we discuss the current literature on the diverse roles for MAIT cells in cancer, outlining their frequencies, functions and associations with N staging and prognosis. We also discuss potential mechanisms underpinning cancer-related alterations in MAIT cells and highlight therapeutic approaches to harness or target MAIT cells in cancer.
黏膜相关恒定T（MAIT）细胞是一类非常规T细胞群体，能够连接固有免疫系统和适应性免疫系统。MAIT细胞的明确作用包括保护宿主抵御入侵的细菌、真菌和病毒。激活后，MAIT细胞成为多产的效应细胞，能够产生一系列细胞因子和溶解分子。除了其抗菌作用外，MAIT细胞还参与了对癌症的免疫反应，有报道称其具有相反的有益和致病作用。一方面，在许多人类癌症中，MAIT细胞可以归巢到肿瘤部位并产生抗肿瘤分子。另一方面，MAIT细胞在某些癌症中可表现出缺陷表型并产生促肿瘤分子。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了关于MAIT细胞在癌症中不同作用的当前文献，概述了它们的频率、功能以及与N分期和预后的关联。我们还讨论了MAIT细胞中与癌症相关改变的潜在机制，并强调了在癌症中利用或靶向MAIT细胞的治疗方法。
