1. HLA-E/ Mtb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells have a memory phenotype in individuals with TB infection.
- Author
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Voogd, Linda, Riou, Catherine, Scriba, Thomas J., van Wolfswinkel, Marjolein, van Meijgaarden, Krista E., Franken, Kees L. M. C., Wilkinson, Robert J., Ottenhoff, Tom H. M., and Joosten, Simone A.
- Abstract
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is the deadliest infectious disease worldwide and novel vaccines are urgently needed. HLA-E is a virtually monomorphic antigen presentation molecule and is not downregulated upon HIV co-infection. HLA-E restricted Mtb specific CD8
+ T cells are present in the circulation of individuals with active TB (aTB) and Mtb infection (TBI) with or without HIV co-infection, making HLA-E restricted T cells interesting vaccination targets for TB. Methods: Here, we performed in-depth phenotyping of HLA-E/ Mtb specific and total T cell populations in individuals with TBI and in individuals with aTB or TBI and HIV using HLA-E/ Mtb tetramers. Results and Discussion: We show that HIV co-infection is the main driver in changing the memory distribution of HLA-E/ Mtb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. HLA-E/ Mtb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were found to circulate with comparable frequencies in all individuals and displayed expression of KLRG1, PD-1 and 2B4 similar to that of total T cells. The presence of HLA-E/ Mtb specific T cells in individuals with aTB and TBI highlights the potential of HLA-E as a vaccine target for TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2025
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