Seminar by Prof Paul Klenerman 'Taking Tmic'


This seminar will be held virtually via Zoom. This seminar is open only to members of Oxford University, register with a valid Oxford University email address at https://medsci.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqd-qgrTIpHtaMzBjKNK4BCAeb5Bp2P5Au

Tissues such as the gut and liver are enriched for “unconventional” or innate-like T cells. These cells manage to balance the competing demands of responding to microbes when they are dangerous/invasive, but otherwise maintaining a healthy homeostasis with commensals, using a combination of signals from their TCR and from cytokines. MAIT cells are one example of such cells. In this talk, I’ll discuss a new version of unconventional or innate-like behaviour shown by CD4+ T cells found in the human gut and their parallels in mice. These commensal-reactive, innate-like cells are restricted by MHC Class II and are currently termed “Tmic” cells. I’ll introduce this work which was a collaboration between the Kennedy and the TGU and discuss the implications in health and disease.