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Invariant natural killer T cells: bridging innate and adaptive immunity

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Abstract

Cells of the innate immune system interact with pathogens via conserved pattern-recognition receptors, whereas cells of the adaptive immune system recognize pathogens through diverse, antigen-specific receptors that are generated by somatic DNA rearrangement. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a subset of lymphocytes that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems. Although iNKT cells express T cell receptors that are generated by somatic DNA rearrangement, these receptors are semi-invariant and interact with a limited set of lipid and glycolipid antigens, thus resembling the pattern-recognition receptors of the innate immune system. Functionally, iNKT cells most closely resemble cells of the innate immune system, as they rapidly elicit their effector functions following activation, and fail to develop immunological memory. iNKT cells can become activated in response to a variety of stimuli and participate in the regulation of various immune responses. Activated iNKT cells produce several cytokines with the capacity to jump-start and modulate an adaptive immune response. A variety of glycolipid antigens that can differentially elicit distinct effector functions in iNKT cells have been identified. These reagents have been employed to test the hypothesis that iNKT cells can be harnessed for therapeutic purposes in human diseases. Here, we review the innate-like properties and functions of iNKT cells and discuss their interactions with other cell types of the immune system.

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Acknowledgements

We apologize to colleagues whose work we did not cite due to space constraints or omission. We thank many colleagues, especially Dr. Sebastian Joyce (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Medical Center North, Room A-5301, 1161 21st Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37232-2363, USA

    Luc Van Kaer, Vrajesh V. Parekh & Lan Wu

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  1. Luc Van Kaer
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  2. Vrajesh V. Parekh
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  3. Lan Wu
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Correspondence to Luc Van Kaer.

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Funding

The authors’ work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (to L.V.K. and L.W.), a discovery grant from the Diabetes Research and Training Center at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (to L.W.), and a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (to V.V.P.).

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Van Kaer, L., Parekh, V.V. & Wu, L. Invariant natural killer T cells: bridging innate and adaptive immunity. Cell Tissue Res 343, 43–55 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-010-1023-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-010-1023-3

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