Abstract

MAIT cells are an abundant T cell population that are highly enriched in epithelial tissues such as the liver. They are known to be activated both through TCR-dependent and -independent mechanisms. However, the specific functional responses of MAIT cells to these signals remain elusive. We examined the impact of combinations of TCR-dependent and -independent signals in blood and tissue-derived human MAIT cells. TCR-dependent and -independent signals drive MAIT cells to exert overlapping and unique effector functions. Importantly, this includes several novel functions that are relevant not only to host defence but also tissue homeostasis. While TCR triggering is insufficient to drive sustained activation, gene expression signatures of TCR-triggered MAIT cells also showed specific enrichment of tissue-repair functions. Activation of certain effector and antimicrobial functions may be triggered further with specific innate cytokine signals, such as the TNF superfamily member TL1A. In addition, gut-resident cells exposed to commensal-derived ligands showed evidence of persistent activation in vivo. Taken together, this study demonstrates the pivotal role of MAIT cells in controlling the balance between healthy and pathological processes of tissue inflammation and repair.