title: Evidence for eomesodermin-expressing innate-like CD8(+) KIR/NKG2A(+) T cells in human adults and cord blood samples.
abstract: Polyclonal CD8(+) T cells, with a marked innate/memory phenotype, high eomesodermin (Eomes) expression, and the capacity to generate IFN-γ rapidly without prior exposure to antigen, have been described in mice. However, even though a pool of human CD8(+) T cells expressing killer Ig-like receptors (KIRs) was recently documented, the existence of a human equivalent of murine innate/memory CD8(+) T cells remains to be established. Here, we provide evidence for a population of KIR/NKG2A(+) CD8(+) T cells in healthy human adults sharing the same features, namely increased Eomes expression, prompt IFN-γ production in response to innate-like stimulation by IL-12+IL-18, and a potent antigen-independent cytotoxic activity along with a preferential terminally differentiated effector memory phenotype. None of the above functional characteristics applied to the KIR/NKG2A(-) fraction of the Eomes(+) CD8(+) T-cell population, thereby underlining the ability of KIR/NKG2A to distinguish between "innate/memory-like" and "conventional/memory" pools of CD8(+) T cells. Remarkably, KIR/NKG2A(+) Eomes(+) CD8(+) T cells with innate-like functions and a memory/terminally differentiated effector memory phenotype were also identified in human cord blood, suggesting that their development did not depend on cognate antigens. Taken together, our results support the conclusion that CD8(+) T cells co-expressing Eomes and KIR/NKG2A may represent a new, functionally distinct "innate/memory-like" subset in humans.
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|Service d'Immunologie et Inflammation, Poitiers, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jacomet
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cayssials
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basbous
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|Université Paris-Sud 11, Orsay, France.|INSERM 1082, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Anaïs
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levescot
authors.affiliation: CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Piccirilli
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Desmier
authors.affiliation: CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|INSERM 1082, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robin
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|Service d'Immunologie et Inflammation, Poitiers, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barra
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Etablissement Français du Sang Centre-Atlantique, Site de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.affiliation: CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Centre d'investigation clinique INSERM-1402, Poitiers, France.|Service d'Oncologie Hématologique et Thérapie Cellulaire, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guilhot
authors.affiliation: CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Centre d'investigation clinique INSERM-1402, Poitiers, France.|Service d'Oncologie Hématologique et Thérapie Cellulaire, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|INSERM 1082, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herbelin
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMR S935, Poitiers and Villejuif, France.|Service d'Immunologie et Inflammation, Poitiers, France.|CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.|Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gombert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C / Q000276:immunology; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C491199:EOMES protein, human; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins
keywords: CD8+ T cells; Cord blood; Human; Innate immunity; Innate-memory T cells