Functional assessment of peritoneal mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in advanced cirrhosis

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells that act as a bridge between the adaptive and innate arm of the immune system. They are fast-acting using their unique receptor (Vα7.2TCR) to recognize specific microbial riboflavin antigens presented on the MHC-Ib-related protein 1 (MR1) ligand of antigen presenting cells. Bacterial infections, including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), are major complications of patients hospitalized for advanced liver cirrhosis leading to poor short-term prognosis due to impaired immune responses. In our previous experiments we had observed a depletion of MAIT cells in the peripheral blood from patients with cirrhosis and an accumulation in the peritoneal cavity during peritonitis.