Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors Delineate Distinct Phenotypes and Functions in Human γδ T Cells
type: CreativeWork
description: Human circulating γδ T cells are broadly classified into three subsets: Vδ1, Vδ2, and Vδ1/2neg populations, with the Vδ2 subset being the most abundant. In this research, I focus on the contribution and interplay of Natural Killer (NK) receptors to the γδ T cell phenotype and function, with emphasis on Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs), which are poorly studied in the field of γδ T cell biology. Because cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to shape the αβ T cell and NK cell repertoires, I studied peripheral blood (PB) γδ T cells from both CMV-seronegative (CMV-) and CMV-seropositive (CMV+) healthy adult humans, using spectral flow cytometry. I found that CMV leaves a stable imprint in the γδ T cell repertoire and phenotype. CMV+ individuals have increased proportions of Vδ1 T cells within the total γδ T cell population. Moreover, γδ T cells from these individuals display increased proportions of cells expressing KIRs, which constitute a highly polymorphic family of receptors for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I. These KIRs delineate a dichotomy in the phenotype and function of γδ T cells. KIR+γδ T cells exhibit characteristics akin to memory like T cells, displaying heightened effector potential, whereas KIR-γδ T cells resemble naïve T cells with comparatively weaker immune responses. Leveraging the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATACseq) technology, I show that KIR+γδ T cells have more open loci associated with effector functions than KIR-γδ T cells, which is consistent with the above results. These findings underscore a critical role for KIRs in γδ T cell immunity and hold implications for both our understanding of immune responses influenced by CMV and the potential of γδ T cells in cellular immunotherapy.
abstract: Human circulating γδ T cells are broadly classified into three subsets: Vδ1, Vδ2, and Vδ1/2neg populations, with the Vδ2 subset being the most abundant. In this research, I focus on the contribution and interplay of Natural Killer (NK) receptors to the γδ T cell phenotype and function, with emphasis on Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs), which are poorly studied in the field of γδ T cell biology. Because cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to shape the αβ T cell and NK cell repertoires, I studied peripheral blood (PB) γδ T cells from both CMV-seronegative (CMV-) and CMV-seropositive (CMV+) healthy adult humans, using spectral flow cytometry. I found that CMV leaves a stable imprint in the γδ T cell repertoire and phenotype. CMV+ individuals have increased proportions of Vδ1 T cells within the total γδ T cell population. Moreover, γδ T cells from these individuals display increased proportions of cells expressing KIRs, which constitute a highly polymorphic family of receptors for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I. These KIRs delineate a dichotomy in the phenotype and function of γδ T cells. KIR+γδ T cells exhibit characteristics akin to memory like T cells, displaying heightened effector potential, whereas KIR-γδ T cells resemble naïve T cells with comparatively weaker immune responses. Leveraging the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATACseq) technology, I show that KIR+γδ T cells have more open loci associated with effector functions than KIR-γδ T cells, which is consistent with the above results. These findings underscore a critical role for KIRs in γδ T cell immunity and hold implications for both our understanding of immune responses influenced by CMV and the potential of γδ T cells in cellular immunotherapy.
author: Razmi, Mahya
language: en
keywords: γδ T cell, Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors, KIRs, Cytomegalovirus
date published: 2024-07-09T18:04:35Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:39:25Z
provider: University of Ottawa
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/46392

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.20381/ruor-30434