Innate Stress Activation

Gene co-expression module in Mucosal-associated invariant T cell

Why this annotation

The hub gene IL6ST (gp130, IL-6 signal transducer) anchors this module in cytokine signaling. BATF is a key transcription factor in T cell differentiation and Tc17/exhaustion programs. SESN1 is a stress-responsive gene induced by p53 and genotoxic stress. STING1 (cGAS-STING innate immune pathway) links to innate immune sensing. DNAJA3 is a mitochondrial chaperone involved in stress responses. BCL2L1 is an anti-apoptotic survival gene. SCML4 is a Polycomb-associated chromatin regulator expressed in T cells. UNG is a DNA repair enzyme active in activated lymphocytes. PTGER2 is a prostaglandin E2 receptor involved in immune regulation. The module is moderate coherence with IL6ST showing weak membership, suggesting a mixed program. Overall, the module combines elements of cytokine-driven stress responses, innate immune sensing (STING1), and transcription factor activity (BATF, SCML4) in MAIT cells — most consistent with an integrated stress/innate immune activation state. BATF and SCML4 also point toward a regulatory or differentiation program. The neighbor module M121 is a clean type I IFN module, and STING1 here may reflect upstream innate sensing feeding into IFN responses, supporting an innate/stress activation context.

Genes

BATF, BCL2L1, BRD8, DNAJA3, FAM13A, IL6ST, LRRN3, OXNAD1, PTGER2, SCML4, SESN1, SPON2, STING1, UNG

Most correlated modules

• T cell Homeostasis · correlation 0.59
• Tc17 / MAIT17 · correlation 0.54

Module annotations were drafted by a large language model from the module's genes, then reviewed and approved by a domain expert. See sources & licences.