Human blood MAIT cell subsets defined using MR1 tetramers

• DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12021
• Publication Date: 2018-02-13T17:22:55Z
• Authors: Nicholas A Gherardin; Michael NT Souter; Hui‐Fern Koay; Kirstie M Mangas; Torsten Seemann; Timothy P Stinear; Sidonia BG Eckle; Stuart P Berzins; Yves d'Udekem; Igor E Konstantinov; David P Fairlie; David S Ritchie; Paul J Neeson; Daniel G Pellicci; Adam P Uldrich; James McCluskey; Dale I Godfrey
• Keywords: 570; Aging; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; 610; T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity; Cell Separation; Human Immunology; Lymphocyte Activation; Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells; 1307 Cell Biology; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; unconventional T cell; Humans; Cells, Cultured; 2403 Immunology; Blood Cells; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; MR1; T cell; Cell Differentiation; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; Original Articles; Flow Cytometry; Cytokines; Natural Killer T-Cells; MAIT; Biomarkers

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells represent up to 10% of circulating human cells. They are usually defined using combinations non-lineage-specific (surrogate) markers such as anti-TRAV1-2, CD161, IL-18Rα and CD26. The development MR1-Ag tetramers now permits the specific identification MAIT based on T-cell receptor specificity. Here, we compare these approaches for identifying show that surrogate not always accurate in cells, particularly CD4+ fraction. Moreover, while all cell subsets produced comparable levels IFNγ, TNF IL-17A, population more IL-2 than other subsets. In a ontogeny study, frequencies most MR1 tetramer+ with exception increased from birth about 25 years age declined thereafter. We also demonstrate positive association between frequency unconventional including Natural Killer (NKT) Vδ2+ γδ Accordingly, this study demonstrates phenotypically functionally diverse, may reliably identify their numbers regulated an age-dependent manner correlate NKT