Impact of MR1 on lung cancer in the proliferation of MAIT cells, and production of cytokine and perforin

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells express a semi-invariant T cell receptor (TCR) that binds MHC class Ilike molecule (MR1). It has garnered significant attention for its potential role in cancer immunity, although the immunological role of MAIT cells is still unclear in lung cancer. This study aim to investigate the impact of MR1 expression on lung cancer cells on the proliferation and cytokine production of MAIT cells in vitro. We transfected A9 with MR1 to overexpress the molecule and knocked out MR1 in TC1 cells to create MR1-deficient models. These cells were then co-cultured with MAIT cells. MAIT cell proliferation was assessed, and cytokine production, including IFN-, Perforin, and IL-10, was quantified. Our findings showed that MAIT cells that co-cultured with MR1-positive cancer cells exhibited significantly increased proliferation and elevated production of IFN-, Perforin, and IL-10 compared to those co-cultured with MR1-negative cells. These results underscore the importance of MR1 in modulating MAIT cell activity and suggest that targeting MR1-MAIT interactions may offer new avenues for lung cancer immunotherapy.