MAIT Cell Identity
Gene co-expression module in Mucosal-associated invariant T cell
| Category | T cell maturation |
|---|---|
| Genes | 25 |
| Annotation certainty | 4 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 13 of 25 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
ZBTB16 (PLZF) is the master transcription factor that defines MAIT cell and iNKT cell identity and innate-like T cell program. FYN and SLA are TCR signaling components relevant to MAIT biology. IFNGR1 (IFN-γ receptor), MCAM (CD146 - tissue homing marker), EPAS1 (HIF-2α - tissue hypoxia/residence), FKBP5 (glucocorticoid-responsive), PDCD1 (PD-1 - regulatory/exhaustion marker), NLRP3 (inflammasome - innate sensing), P2RX5 (purinergic receptor), DKK3 (Wnt inhibitor expressed in tissue-resident cells), HECA (Notch/migration), PIK3IP1 (PI3K inhibitor - quiescence), TLE1 (transcriptional repressor/Wnt). Together these genes reflect the MAIT cell tissue-resident and innate-like identity program centered on PLZF/ZBTB16. DDX3Y is a Y-chromosome gene that may reflect sex-linked expression but is present at moderate levels. The ZBTB16-centered program with tissue residency and innate sensing markers is consistent with MAIT cell identity/maturation.
Genes
AFF3, DDX3Y, DKK3, DSE, EPAS1, FKBP5, FYN, GLIPR1, H1-10, HECA, IFNGR1, KLF9, MCAM, MPZL3, NLRP3, ODF2L, P2RX5, PDCD1, PIK3IP1, SH2D2A, SLA, SYTL3, TLE1, USP9Y, ZBTB16
Most correlated modules
- TCR Signal Attenuation · correlation 0.78
- NF-κB Effector Activation · correlation 0.75
- Hypoxia-ER Stress · correlation 0.73
- Tissue Residency Regulation · correlation 0.71
- TCR-Induced Early Response · correlation 0.64
- Mitochondrial Quality Control · correlation 0.57
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.