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Brauns S, Marquardt I, Thon C, Frentzel S, Jakob J, Färber J, Philipsen L, Jänsch L, Link A, Bruder D. Mucosal-associated invariant T cells from Clostridioides difficile-infected patients exhibit a distinct proinflammatory phenotype and enhanced cytotoxic activity. Int Immunol 2023; 35:543-554. [PMID: 37549964 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxad032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells mainly found in the mucosa and peripheral blood. We have recently demonstrated that Clostridioides difficile activates MAIT cells in vitro. However, their role in the pathogenesis of C. difficile infection (CDI) in human patients remains elusive to date. In this study, we performed comprehensive immunophenotyping of MAIT cells derived from CDI patients and compared their phenotype to that of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and healthy controls. Our study revealed that blood MAIT cells from CDI patients exhibit an interleukin 17a (IL-17a)-dominated proinflammatory phenotype and an increased readiness to synthesize the proinflammatory cytokine interferon γ (IFN-γ) following in vitro re-stimulation. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of MAIT cells, as measured by surface CD107a and intracellular granzyme B expression, was strongly increased in CDI. Multi epitope ligand cartography (MELC) analysis of intestinal biopsies from CDI patients revealed that MAIT cells exhibit an increased production of granzyme B and increased cytotoxicity compared to the control group. Together with previously published in vitro data from our group, our findings suggest that MAIT cells are functionally involved in the immune response against C. difficile and contribute to the pathogenesis of CDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Brauns
- Infection Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Marquardt
- Infection Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Cellular Proteomics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Cosima Thon
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Otto-von-Guericke University Hospital, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Frentzel
- Infection Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Josefine Jakob
- Infection Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Cellular Proteomics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jacqueline Färber
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lars Philipsen
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Multi-parametric Bioimaging and Cytometry, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lothar Jänsch
- Cellular Proteomics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alexander Link
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Otto-von-Guericke University Hospital, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dunja Bruder
- Infection Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
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