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Review
. 2024 Feb 28;21(1):6.
doi: 10.1186/s12950-024-00376-z.

Mucosal-associated invariant T cells in infectious diseases of respiratory system: recent advancements and applications

Xue Lin  1 , Ye Wang  1 , Yanqi He  2
Affiliations
Review

Mucosal-associated invariant T cells in infectious diseases of respiratory system: recent advancements and applications

Xue Lin et al. J Inflamm (Lond). .

Abstract

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an atypical subset of T lymphocytes, which have a highly conserved semi-constant αβ chain of T-cell receptor (TCR) and recognize microbe-derived vitamin B metabolites via major histocompatibility complex class I related-1 molecule (MR1). MAIT cells get activated mainly through unique TCR-dependent and TCR-independent pathways, and express multiple functional and phenotypic traits, including innate-like functionality, T helper (Th) 1 cell immunity, Th 17 cell immunity, and tissue homing. Given the functions, MAIT cells are extensively reported to play a key role in mucosal homeostasis and infectious diseases. In the current work, we review the basic characteristics of MAIT cells and their roles in mucosal homeostasis and development of respiratory infectious diseases as well as their potential therapeutic targets.

Keywords: 5-OP-RU3; Immune barrier4; Infectious diseases5; MAIT1; MR12.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Frequency of MAIT cells (MAIT cells / αβ T cells, %) in mouse and human organs [–24]
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Phenotypic characteristics of MAIT cells. Note: Functionalities are as follows: The BASIC part of this figure shows the markers of the TCR-dependent functions; The other parts show the TCR-independent functions (Innate-like, Th1-type cell, Th17-type cell, tissue homing functions) via the experience phenotype genes
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
States and functions of MAIT in mucosal barrier homeostasis and infection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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