Human γδ T cells in diverse tissues exhibit site-specific maturation dynamics across the life span

I. Gray, Daniel P. Caron, Steven B. Wells, Rebecca Guyer, Peter Szabo, Daniel Rainbow, Can Ergen, Ksenia Rybkina, Marissa C. Bradley, Rei Matsumoto, Kalpana Pethe, Masaru Kubota, Sarah Teichmann, Joanne Jones, Nir Yosef, Mark Atkinson, Maigan Brusko, Todd M. Brusko, Thomas J. Connors, Peter A. SimsDonna L. Farber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

During ontogeny, γδ T cells emerge from the thymus and directly seed peripheral tissues for in situ immunity. However, their functional role in humans has largely been defined from blood. Here, we analyzed the phenotype, transcriptome, function, and repertoire of human γδ T cells in blood and mucosal and lymphoid tissues from 176 donors across the life span, revealing distinct profiles in children compared with adults. In early life, clonally diverse Vδ1 subsets predominate across blood and tissues, comprising naïve and differentiated effector and tissue repair functions, whereas cytolytic Vδ2 subsets populate blood, spleen, and lungs. With age, Vδ1 and Vδ2 subsets exhibit clonal expansions and elevated cytolytic signatures, which are disseminated across sites. In adults, Vδ2 cells predominate in blood, whereas Vδ1 cells are enriched across tissues and express residency profiles. Thus, antigenic exposures over childhood drive the functional evolution and tissue compartmentalization of γδ T cells, leading to age-dependent roles in immunity.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadn3954
Number of pages15
JournalScience Immunology
Volume9
Issue number96
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

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