The role of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in visceral leishmaniasis

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are restricted by MR1 and are known to protect against bacterial and viral infections. Our understanding of the role of MAIT cells in parasitic infections, such as visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by protozoan parasites of Leishmania donovani, is limited. This study showed that in response to L. infantum, human peripheral blood MAIT cells from children with leishmaniasis produced TNF and IFN-γ in an MR1-dependent manner. The overall frequency of MAIT cells was inversely correlated with alanine aminotransferase levels, a specific marker of liver damage strongly associated with severe hepatic involvement in VL. In addition, there was a positive correlation between total protein levels and the frequency of IL-17A⁺ CD8⁺ MAIT cells, whereby reduced total protein levels are a marker of liver and kidney damage. Furthermore, the frequencies of IFN-γ⁺ and IL-10⁺ MAIT cells were inversely correlated with hemoglobin levels, a marker of severe anemia. In asymptomatic individuals and VL patients after treatment, MAIT cells also produced IL-17A, a cytokine signature associated with resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, suggesting that MAIT cells play important role in protecting against VL. In summary, these results broaden our understanding of MAIT-cell immunity to include protection against parasitic infections, with implications for MAIT-cell-based therapeutics and vaccines. At last, this study paves the way for the investigation of putative MAIT cell antigens that could exist in the context of Leishmania infection.

MR1 encompasses at least six allele groups with coding region alterations

Unlike classical HLA class I genes, MR1 is assumed to have limited polymorphic positions. We developed a MR1 specific PCR assay and sequenced 56 DNA samples from cells with a diverse set of HLA genotypes. In this relatively small panel we found six allele groups encoding for different MR1 proteins. The two most frequent allele groups found in this panel had a frequency of 71% (MR1*01) and 25% (MR1*02), respectively. Moreover, the panel contained many intronic SNPs and silent variants, with individual samples containing up to 15 heterozygous positions. The data presented here is consistent with marked variation in MR1.

The murine CD94/NKG2 ligand, Qa-1b, is a high-affinity, functional ligand for the CD8αα homodimer

The immune co-receptor CD8 molecule (CD8) has two subunits, CD8α and CD8β, which can assemble into homo or heterodimers. Nonclassical (class-Ib) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules (MHC-Ibs) have recently been identified as ligands for the CD8αα homodimer. This was demonstrated by the observation that histocompatibility 2, Q region locus 10 (H2-Q10) is a high-affinity ligand for CD8αα which also binds the MHC-Ib molecule H2-TL. This suggests that MHC-Ib proteins may be an extended source of CD8αα ligands. Expression of H2-T3/TL and H2-Q10 is restricted to the small intestine and liver, respectively, yet CD8αα-containing lymphocytes are present more broadly. Therefore, here we sought to determine whether murine CD8αα binds only to tissue-specific MHC-Ib molecules or also to ubiquitously expressed MHC-Ib molecules. Using recombinant proteins and surface plasmon resonance-based binding assays, we show that the MHC-Ib family furnishes multiple binding partners for murine CD8αα, including H2-T22 and the CD94/NKG2-A/B-activating NK receptor (NKG2) ligand Qa-1b We also demonstrate a hierarchy among MHC-Ib proteins with respect to CD8αα binding, in which Qa-1b > H2-Q10 > TL. Finally, we provide evidence that Qa-1b is a functional ligand for CD8αα, distinguishing it from its human homologue MHC class I antigen E (HLA-E). These findings provide additional clues as to how CD8αα-expressing cells are controlled in different tissues. They also highlight an unexpected immunological divergence of Qa-1b/HLA-E function, indicating the need for more robust studies of murine MHC-Ib proteins as models for human disease.