The human memory T cell compartment changes across tissues of the female reproductive tract.
Mucosal Immunol
; 14(4): 862-872, 2021 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33953338
ABSTRACT
Memory CD4 T cells in tissues fulfill numerous functions that are critical for local immune homeostasis and protection against pathogens. Previous studies have highlighted the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of circulating and tissue-resident memory CD4 T cells across different human tissues such as skin, lung, liver, and colon. Comparatively little is known in regard to memory CD4 T cells across tissues of the female reproductive tract (FRT). We examined CD4 T cells in donor-matched vaginal, ecto- and endocervical tissues, which differ in mucosal structure and exposure to external environmental stimuli. We hypothesized that this could be reflected by tissue-specific differences in the memory CD4 T cell compartment. We found differences in CD4 subset distribution across these tissues. Specifically, CD69+CD103+ CD4 T cells were significantly more abundant in vaginal than cervical tissues. In contrast, the transcriptional profiles of CD4 subsets were fairly conserved across FRT tissues. CD69+CD103+ CD4 T cells showed a TH17 bias independent of tissue niche. Our data suggest that FRT tissues affect T cell subset distribution but have limited effects on the transcriptome of each subset. We discuss the implications for barrier immunity in the FRT.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Genitalia, Female
/
Memory T Cells
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Mucosal Immunol
Journal subject:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: