IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v595y2021i7868d10.1038_s41586-021-03578-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A multilayered immune system through the lens of unconventional T cells

Author

Listed:
  • Toufic Mayassi

    (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
    University of Chicago)

  • Luis B. Barreiro

    (University of Chicago
    and Systems Biology, University of Chicago
    Department of Medicine, University of Chicago)

  • Jamie Rossjohn

    (Monash University
    Monash University
    Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Heath Park)

  • Bana Jabri

    (University of Chicago
    University of Chicago
    University of Chicago
    University of Chicago)

Abstract

The unconventional T cell compartment encompasses a variety of cell subsets that straddle the line between innate and adaptive immunity, often reside at mucosal surfaces and can recognize a wide range of non-polymorphic ligands. Recent advances have highlighted the role of unconventional T cells in tissue homeostasis and disease. In this Review, we recast unconventional T cell subsets according to the class of ligand that they recognize; their expression of semi-invariant or diverse T cell receptors; the structural features that underlie ligand recognition; their acquisition of effector functions in the thymus or periphery; and their distinct functional properties. Unconventional T cells follow specific selection rules and are poised to recognize self or evolutionarily conserved microbial antigens. We discuss these features from an evolutionary perspective to provide insights into the development and function of unconventional T cells. Finally, we elaborate on the functional redundancy of unconventional T cells and their relationship to subsets of innate and adaptive lymphoid cells, and propose that the unconventional T cell compartment has a critical role in our survival by expanding and complementing the role of the conventional T cell compartment in protective immunity, tissue healing and barrier function.

Suggested Citation

  • Toufic Mayassi & Luis B. Barreiro & Jamie Rossjohn & Bana Jabri, 2021. "A multilayered immune system through the lens of unconventional T cells," Nature, Nature, vol. 595(7868), pages 501-510, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:595:y:2021:i:7868:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03578-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03578-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03578-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41586-021-03578-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andrew Gibson & Ramesh Ram & Rama Gangula & Yueran Li & Eric Mukherjee & Amy M. Palubinsky & Chelsea N. Campbell & Michael Thorne & Katherine C. Konvinse & Phuti Choshi & Pooja Deshpande & Sarah Pedre, 2024. "Multiomic single-cell sequencing defines tissue-specific responses in Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Jeremy Anderson & Samira Imran & Hannah R. Frost & Kristy I. Azzopardi & Sedigheh Jalali & Boris Novakovic & Joshua Osowicki & Andrew C. Steer & Paul V. Licciardi & Daniel G. Pellicci, 2022. "Immune signature of acute pharyngitis in a Streptococcus pyogenes human challenge trial," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:595:y:2021:i:7868:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03578-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.