Characterization of KIR⁺CD8⁺ Regulatory T Cells in Humans by scRNA- and TCR-seq

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated the regulatory functions of Ly49⁺CD8⁺ T cells toward self-reactive CD4⁺ T cells in mice. Recently, we found KIR⁺CD8⁺ T cells are the equivalent of mouse Ly49⁺CD8⁺ T cells in humans. They are increased in patients with autoimmune or infectious diseases as a negative feedback mechanism to suppress the arising pathogenic cells and maintain peripheral tolerance. Here, we describe the methods on how we characterize the KIR⁺CD8⁺ T cells from different diseases using single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing.