A Xenopus tadpole alternative model to study innate-like T cell-mediated anti-mycobacterial immunity.
Dev Comp Immunol
; 92: 253-259, 2019 03.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30521838
ABSTRACT
Owing to the high incidence of multi-drug resistance and challenges posed by the complex and long duration of treatments, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections remain a significant clinical burden, which would benefit from development of novel immuno-therapeutic-based treatment strategies. Among early immune effectors, invariant or innate-like (i)T cells are attracting attention because of their potential regulatory activity, which can shape anti-mycobacterial immune responses. Unlike conventional T cells, iT cells express a semi-invariant T cell receptor, and respond rapidly and robustly to molecular patterns presented by MHC class I-like molecules. To date, functional studies of iT cells in vivo has been problematic and the role of iT cells in anti-Mtb responses remains unclear. Here, after reviewing the recent literature on anti-mycobacterial iT cell immunity, we describe a novel alternative model system in the amphibian Xenopus laevis tadpoles during infection with Mycobacterium marinum (Mm). X. laevis tadpoles rely mostly on a few distinct prominent innate-like (i)T cell subsets, whose development and function are governed by distinct MHC class I-like molecules. Thus, X. laevis tadpoles provide a convenient and cost-effective in vivo model uniquely suited to investigate the roles of iT cells during mycobacterial infections. We have developed reverse genetics and MHC tetramer technology to characterize this MHC-like/iT system in tadpoles. Our study in X. laevis provides evidence of a conserved convergent function of iT cells in host defenses against mycobacteria between mammals and amphibians.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Tuberculosis
/
Xenopus
/
T-Lymphocytes
/
Mycobacterium marinum
/
Natural Killer T-Cells
/
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Dev Comp Immunol
Year:
2019
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States