Torre Pietro, Brescia Annalisa, Giurato Giorgio, D'Auria Raffaella, Rizzo Francesca, Motta Benedetta Maria, Giudice Valentina, Selleri Carmine, Zeppa Pio, Caputo Alessandro, Casolaro Vincenzo, Persico Marcello
Internal Medicine and Hepatology Unit, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona", University of Salerno, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jun 14;14(12):2921. doi: 10.3390/cancers14122921.
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of unconventional T lymphocytes expressing a semi-invariant α/β T-cell receptor (TCR). The physiological functions of these cells, which are particularly abundant in normal liver and mucosal sites, have become clear only in recent years, but their role in most human diseases is still unknown. Since the cellular origin and etiopathogenesis of most T-lymphomas are still elusive, we decided to explore the presence of MAIT cells in biopsies from these neoplasms.
Sixteen biopsies obtained from patients with a T-cell lymphoma diagnosis were analyzed via immunofluorescence staining using an anti-Vα7.2 antibody and the MR1-antigen tetramer. Positive cases were subjected to a polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Vα7.2-Jα33, Vα7.2-Jα20, or Vα7.2-Jα12 rearrangements, followed by sequencing of the CDR3α region.
CD3+/Vα7.2+ and CD3+/MR1-Ag-tetramer+ cells were found in 4 of 16 samples analyzed. The identification of specific TCR rearrangements confirmed the presence of these cells in all four samples. PCR and sequencing results documented the presence of multiple clones of MAIT cells in each positive sample.
MAIT cells are frequently found in T-cell lymphomas. More in-depth studies and a larger number of samples are needed to better clarify the contribution of MAIT cells to this rare neoplasm.
黏膜相关恒定T（MAIT）细胞是表达半恒定α/βT细胞受体（TCR）的非常规T淋巴细胞亚群。这些细胞在正常肝脏和黏膜部位特别丰富，其生理功能直到近年来才变得清晰，但它们在大多数人类疾病中的作用仍然未知。由于大多数T细胞淋巴瘤的细胞起源和发病机制仍不清楚，我们决定探索这些肿瘤活检组织中MAIT细胞的存在情况。
使用抗Vα7.2抗体和MR1抗原四聚体通过免疫荧光染色分析从T细胞淋巴瘤诊断患者获得的16份活检组织。对阳性病例进行聚合酶链反应以检测Vα7.2-Jα33、Vα7.2-Jα20或Vα7.2-Jα12重排，随后对CDR3α区域进行测序。
在分析的16个样本中的4个中发现了CD3+/Vα7.2+和CD3+/MR1-抗原四聚体+细胞。特定TCR重排的鉴定证实了所有四个样本中均存在这些细胞。PCR和测序结果记录了每个阳性样本中存在多个MAIT细胞克隆。
MAIT细胞在T细胞淋巴瘤中经常被发现。需要更深入的研究和更多的样本以更好地阐明MAIT细胞对这种罕见肿瘤的作用。
