Stimulatory MAIT cell antigens reach the circulation and are efficiently metabolised and presented by human liver cells.
Martin J LettHema MehtaAdrian KeoghTina JaegerMaxime JacquetKate PowellMarie-Anne MeierIsabel FofanaHassan MelhemJürg VosbeckGieri CathomasAndres HeiglMarkus H HeimEmanuel BurriKirsten D MertzJan Hendrik NiessOtto KollmarChristoph J ZechRobert IvanekUrs DuthalerPaul KlenermanDeborah StrokaMagdalena Filipowicz SinnreichPublished in: Gut (2022)
Our findings reveal previously unrecognised roles of liver cells in Ag metabolism and activation of MAIT cells, repression of which creates an opportunity to design antifibrotic therapies. The presence of MAIT cell stimulatory Ags in serum rationalises the observed activated MAIT cell phenotype in liver. Increased serum levels of gut-derived MAIT cell stimulatory ligands in patients with impaired intestinal barrier function indicate that intrahepatic Ag-presentation may represent an important step in the development of liver disease.