IL-17 producing tissue-resident memory T-cells expanded during Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonisation provide heterologous immune protection.

Authors

Daly, C. M., Cahill, S. C., Leane, C. M., Carlile, S. R., Kelly, A. M., Mannion, J. M., McLoughlin, R. M.

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus persistently colonises the nasal tissue (NT) of a significant proportion of the population. The long-lasting impact that asymptomatic S. aureus exposure has on immune memory at colonised barrier sites is incompletely understood, potentially impacting vaccine responsiveness in a pre-exposed population. Tissue resident memory (TRM) cells are long-lived T-cells which remain poised at barrier sites for localised reactivation following antigen exposure. This study demonstrates an increase in NT CD4+ and {gamma}{delta}+ TRM cells in response to S. aureus colonisation, which undergo expansion and IL-17 production upon secondary S. aureus exposure. Interestingly, these cells were also capable of non-specific reactivation, with IL-17+ TRM cells in S. aureus colonised mice enhancing protection against K. pneumoniae infection. Ex-vivo data suggest that non-specific CD4+ TRM cell re-activation is pro-inflammatory cytokine dependent, but antigen independent. Overall, these findings demonstrate that S. aureus nasal colonisation shapes long-lasting TRM cell responses in the NT, which have the potential for non-specific bystander reactivation during subsequent heterologous infection.

Preprint server: bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 05 Sep 2026.

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