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Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an innate-like T cell subset with proinflammatory and cytotoxic effector functions. During pregnancy, modulation of the maternal immune system, both at the fetal-maternal interface and systemically, is crucial for a successful outcome and manifests through controlled enhancement of innate and dampening of adaptive responses. Still, immune defenses need to efficiently protect both the mother and the fetus from infection. So far, it is unknown whether MAIT cells are subjected to immunomodulation during pregnancy, and characterization of decidual MAIT cells as well as their functional responses during pregnancy are mainly lacking. We here characterized the presence and phenotype of Vα7.2+CD161+ MAIT cells in blood and decidua (the uterine endometrium during pregnancy) from women pregnant in the 1st trimester, i.e. , the time point when local immune tolerance develops. We also assessed the phenotype and functional responses of MAIT cells in blood of women pregnant in the 3rd trimester, i.e. , when systemic immunomodulation is most pronounced. Multi-color flow cytometry panels included markers for MAIT subsets, and markers of activation (CD69, HLA-DR, Granzyme B) and immunoregulation (PD-1, CTLA-4). MAIT cells were numerically decreased at the fetal-maternal interface and showed, similar to other T cells in the decidua, increased expression of immune checkpoint markers compared with MAIT cells in blood. During the 3rd trimester, circulating MAIT cells showed a higher expression of CD69 and CD56, and their functional responses to inflammatory (activating anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies, and IL-12 and IL-18) and microbial stimuli (Escherichia coli , group B streptococci and influenza A virus) were generally increased compared with MAIT cells from non-pregnant women, indicating enhanced antimicrobial defenses during pregnancy. Taken together, our findings indicate dual roles for MAIT cells during pregnancy, with an evidently well-adapted ability to balance the requirements of immune tolerance in parallel with maintained antimicrobial defenses. Since MAIT cells are easily activated, they need to be strictly regulated during pregnancy, and failure to do so could contribute to pregnancy complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitapivat is an investigational, oral, small-molecule allosteric activator of pyruvate kinase (PK). PK is a regulatory glycolytic enzyme that is key in providing the red blood cell (RBC) with sufficient amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In sickle cell disease (SCD), decreased 2,3-DPG levels increase the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin, thereby preventing deoxygenation and polymerization of sickle hemoglobin. The PK activator mitapivat has been shown to decrease levels of 2,3-DPG and increase levels of ATP in RBCs in patients with SCD. In this phase 2, investigator-initiated, open-label study (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ NL8517; EudraCT 2019-003438-18), untargeted metabolomics was used to explore the overall metabolic effects of 8-week treatment with mitapivat in the dose-finding period. In total, 1773 unique metabolites were identified in dried blood spots of whole blood from ten patients with SCD and 42 healthy controls (HCs). The metabolic phenotype of patients with SCD revealed alterations in 139/1773 (7.8%) metabolites at baseline when compared to HCs (false discovery rate-adjusted p  < 0.05), including increases of (derivatives of) polyamines, purines, and acyl carnitines. Eight-week treatment with mitapivat in nine patients with SCD altered 85/1773 (4.8%) of the total metabolites and 18/139 (12.9%) of the previously identified altered metabolites in SCD (unadjusted p  < 0.05). Effects were observed on a broad spectrum of metabolites and were not limited to glycolytic intermediates. Our results show the relevance of metabolic profiling in SCD, not only to unravel potential pathophysiological pathways and biomarkers in multisystem diseases but also to determine the effect of treatment., Competing Interests: Minke A. E. Rab and Richard van Wijk received research funding from Axcella Health Inc. and Pfizer. Eduard J. van Beers and Richard van Wijk are consultants for Pfizer. Minke A. E. Rab, Eduard J. van Beers, and Richard van Wijk received research funding and are consultants for Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. M.H.C's institution has received investigator‐initiated research and travel grants as well as speaker fees over the years from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and Netherlands National Research Agenda (NWA), the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), the Dutch Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars, Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda, Pfizer, Bayer Schering Pharma, CSL Behring, Sobi Biogen, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and Nordic Pharma, and for serving as a steering board member for Roche, Bayer, and Novartis for which fees go to the Erasmus MC as an institution. Erfan Nur receives research funding from Novartis and Emmaus and participates in the advisory board of Novartis. Bart J. Biemond received research funding from Sanquin, Global Blood Therapeutics/Pfizer, and Novartis and participated in advisory boards of Novartis, Bristol‐Myers Squibb/Celgene, Global Blood Therapeutics/Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, and CSL Behring. The remaining authors declare no competing financial interests., (© 2024 The Author(s). HemaSphere published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Hematology Association.)