The roles and heterogeneity of CD8 <sup>+</sup> T cells in inflammatory bowel disease: A narrative review of insights from single‑cell transcriptomics (Review)
The present review investigates the role and characteristics of CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using single‑cell transcriptomics, revealing their pivotal functions and remarkable heterogeneity. In IBD, CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells exhibit marked phenotypic and functional diversity, with distinct subpopulations exhibiting unique signaling pathway activation profiles that associate with varying clinical outcomes. Furthermore, CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell subsets in IBD participate in complex crosstalk networks involving immune and non‑immune cells, modulating inflammatory responses and tissue homeostasis. The present review synthesizes the dynamic complexity of CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell behavior in IBD and identifies promising therapeutic opportunities through targeted modulation of specific T cell subsets and their interactions within the colonic microenvironment.
Authors
- Qi Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3019-2061)
- Zhihui Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-2166)
- Luyi Wu
- Jian Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5954-7356)
- Huangan Wu
- Guona Li
- Rui Zhong
- Lu Zhu
- Yan Huang
- Wujie Ye
Institutions
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Yueyang Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Medicine
- Published
- 2026-03-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2026.5801
- Primary Topic
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00