Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Aug 15;211(4):511-517.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300147.

The Emerging Role of MAIT Cell Responses in Viral Infections

Johan K Sandberg  1 , Edwin Leeansyah  2   3 , Michael A Eller  4 , Barbara L Shacklett  5 , Dominic Paquin-Proulx  6   7
Affiliations
Review

The Emerging Role of MAIT Cell Responses in Viral Infections

Johan K Sandberg et al. J Immunol. .

Abstract

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are unconventional T cells with innate-like antimicrobial responsiveness. MAIT cells are known for MR1 (MHC class I-related protein 1)-restricted recognition of microbial riboflavin metabolites giving them the capacity to respond to a broad range of microbes. However, recent progress has shown that MAIT cells can also respond to several viral infections in humans and in mouse models, ranging from HIV-1 and hepatitis viruses to influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, in a primarily cognate Ag-independent manner. Depending on the disease context MAIT cells can provide direct or indirect antiviral protection for the host and may help recruit other immune cells, but they may also in some circumstances amplify inflammation and aggravate immunopathology. Furthermore, chronic viral infections are associated with varying degrees of functional and numerical MAIT cell impairment, suggesting secondary consequences for host defense. In this review, we summarize recent progress and highlight outstanding questions regarding the emerging role of MAIT cells in antiviral immunity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Model of MAIT cell activation in response to viruses. MAIT cell activation in the virus infection context is primarily driven by cytokines including IFNα and IL-18, and it is unclear if TCR-mediated activation is involved. The description of subsequent responses is mostly based on in vitro studies with some support also from in vivo studies in humans and mouse models. The involvement of MR1-restricted responses to virus antigen or microbial translocation antigens is currently unclear or hypothetical, as indicated by the question mark. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Godfrey DI, Uldrich AP, McCluskey J, Rossjohn J, and Moody DB. 2015. The burgeoning family of unconventional T cells. Nat Immunol 16: 1114–1123. - PubMed
    1. Dusseaux M, Martin E, Serriari N, Peguillet I, Premel V, Louis D, Milder M, Le Bourhis L, Soudais C, Treiner E, and Lantz O. 2011. Human MAIT cells are xenobiotic-resistant, tissue-targeted, CD161hi IL-17-secreting T cells. Blood 117: 1250–1259. - PubMed
    1. Martin E, Treiner E, Duban L, Guerri L, Laude H, Toly C, Premel V, Devys A, Moura IC, Tilloy F, Cherif S, Vera G, Latour S, Soudais C, and Lantz O. 2009. Stepwise development of MAIT cells in mouse and human. PLoS Biol 7: e54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kjer-Nielsen L, Patel O, Corbett AJ, Le Nours J, Meehan B, Liu L, Bhati M, Chen Z, Kostenko L, Reantragoon R, Williamson NA, Purcell AW, Dudek NL, McConville MJ, O’Hair RA, Khairallah GN, Godfrey DI, Fairlie DP, Rossjohn J, and McCluskey J. 2012. MR1 presents microbial vitamin B metabolites to MAIT cells. Nature 491: 717–723. - PubMed
    1. Boudinot P, Mondot S, Jouneau L, Teyton L, Lefranc MP, and Lantz O. 2016. Restricting nonclassical MHC genes coevolve with TRAV genes used by innate-like T cells in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113: E2983–2992. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances