High pre-transplant Mucosal Associated Invariant T Cell (MAIT) count predicts favorable course of myeloid aplasia.

Abstract

Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are unconventional T cells with anti-infective potential. MAIT cells detect and fight against microbes on mucosal surfaces and in peripheral tissues. Previous works suggested that MAIT cells survive exposure to cytotoxic drugs in these locations. We sought to determine if they maintain their anti-infective functions after myeloablative chemotherapy. We correlated the amount of MAIT cells (measured by flow cytometry) in the peripheral blood of 100 adult patients before the start of myeloablative conditioning plus autologous stem cell transplantation with the clinical and laboratory outcomes of aplasia. The amount of MAIT cells negatively correlated with peak C-reactive protein level and the amount of red blood cell transfusion units resulting in earlier discharge of patients with the highest amount of MAIT cells. This work suggests the anti-infectious potential of MAIT cells is maintained during myeloid aplasia.