REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. T Cell Biology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1594712
This article is part of the Research TopicCommunity Series in the Role of CD1- and MR1-restricted T cells in Immunity and Disease: Volume IIIView all articles
Control of MAIT cell functions by cytokines in health and disease
Provisionally accepted
- Immunoregulation Unit, Department of Immunology, Intitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, Ile-de-France, France
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Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells that express a semi-invariant T cell receptor (TCR). These cells predominantly reside in tissues, such as the liver, lung, skin and the gastrointestinal tract. MAIT cells can be activated via their TCR that recognizes riboflavin metabolites presented by the MHC class I-related protein 1 (MR1). These cells can also be activated in a TCRindependent manner by cytokines, in particular IL-12 and IL-18, but also by type I interferons, IL-7, IL-15 and IL-23, underlining their innate-like characteristics. MAIT cells have important functions in antibacterial and viral immunity but also in tissue repair and homeostasis. Recent studies highlighted the plasticity of MAIT cells in response to cytokines, suggesting an important role of the cytokine milieu in modulating MAIT cell functions. Here, we discuss how cytokines control MAIT cell functions in various contexts.
Keywords: MAIT cells, Cytokines, tissue repair, infectious diseases, Inflammatory diseases, Cell plasticity, MAIT cell activation, Interleukins
Received: 16 Mar 2025; Accepted: 13 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Camard, Bianchi and Rogge. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Laetitia Camard, Immunoregulation Unit, Department of Immunology, Intitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, 75270, Ile-de-France, France
Lars Rogge, Immunoregulation Unit, Department of Immunology, Intitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, 75270, Ile-de-France, France
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