Human γδ T cell immune surveillance in mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

The adaptive arm of immune system uses lymphocytes to generate antibody and memory responses to challenges throughout life. Three lineages of lymphocytes have co-evolved over the last 550 million years: B cells, ɑβ T cells and γδ T cells. Human γδ T cells remain poorly understood and their exact role in immunity is unclear. However, human γδ T cells are frequently implicated in protective microbial and tumour immunity. γδ T cells are distributed throughout the body and form an extensive immune surveillance network. Our group seeks to explore the role of this network in health and disease. Tuberculosis is caused by an infection with the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Despite significant efforts to control and eliminate Mtb, it remains a significant global health problem. 90% of acute Mtb infections results in a state of latent Mtb. The student will use 17-colour flow cytometry antibody panels to track the emergence of anti-Mtb γδ T cell responses in longitudinal blood samples from patients either acutely or latently infected with Mtb. The student will then sort γδ T cell subsets and perform cutting-edge γδTCR repertoire sequencing to understand the TCR response to this pathogen.