Incorporating mucosal-associated invariant T cells into the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease

Core Tip

Core Tip: Circulating mucosal-associated invariant T cells are depleted in chronic liver disease, and they have a disease-nonspecific, hyper-activated, immune exhausted, and dysfunctional phenotype. Antimicrobial, immune regulatory, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory actions are established biological functions of these innate-like lymphocytes, and each function has been invoked to understand the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis and cholestatic liver disease. Future investigations must establish their pathological role in each form of chronic liver disease, determine the factors that direct function in the hepatic microenvironment, associate deficient functionality with disease severity and outcome, and explore therapeutic manipulations.