What are invariant NKT cells?
Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells represent a major population of cells expressing a unique invariant TCRα chain (Vα14Jα18 in mice and Vα24Jα18 in humans) and a limited number of variable TCRβ chains1.
How do I activate NKT cells?
Two pathways are thought to exist for NKT cell activation in response to infection: one where NKT cells are activated through direct recognition of microbial glycolipid Ags via their TCR (Kinjo et al., 2005; Mattner et al., 2005; Sriram et al., 2005; Kinjo et al., 2006) and another that occurs in the absence of known …
What is the difference between NK and NKT cells?
Natural killer (NK) cells and natural killer T (NKT) cells are two types of important cells in innate immunity. The main difference between NK cells and NKT cells is that NK cells are large granular lymphocytes while NKT cells are a type of T cells.
What do NKT cells recognize?
Type I natural killer T (NKT) cells are innate-like T lymphocytes that recognize glycolipid antigens presented by the MHC class I-like protein CD1d. Agonistic activation of NKT cells leads to rapid pro-inflammatory and immune modulatory cytokine and chemokine responses.
Where do NKT cells come from?
NKT cells constitute a unique, but highly heterogeneous, subset of immune cells that arise in the thymus from CD4+CD8+ cortical thymocytes that have undergone T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement, as is the case with conventional T cells (9).
How do NKT cells work?
NKT cells are regulatory T cells that bridge the innate and adaptive immune system. NKT cells can directly respond to glycolipid antigens that bind with CD1d molecules, and these cells can also become activated indirectly in response to TLR agonists and other inflammatory mediators such as pro-inflammatory cytokines.
What is another name for T cells?
T lymphocyte
T cell, also called T lymphocyte, type of leukocyte (white blood cell) that is an essential part of the immune system.
What makes a NKT T cell an invariant T cell?
Invariant natural killer T (i NKT) cells, also known as type I or classical NKT cells, are a distinct population of T cells that express an invariant aβ T-cell receptor (TCR) and a number of cell surface molecules in common with natural killer (NK) cells.
What makes a NKT cell a natural killer?
Invariant natural killer T ( i NKT cells, also known as type I or classical NKT cells, are a distinct population of T cells that express an invariant aβ T-cell receptor (TCR) and a number of cell surface molecules in common with natural killer (NK) cells. Although i NKT cells are rare in the human blood pool,…
What kind of T cell is an iNKT?
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, also known as type I or classical NKT cells, are a distinct population of T cells that express an invariant aβ T-cell receptor (TCR) and a number of cell surface molecules in common with natural killer (NK) cells.
What are Type I invariant natural killer T cells?
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, also known as type I or classical NKT cells, are a distinct population of T cells that express an invariant aβ T-cell receptor (TCR) and a number of cell surface molecules in common with natural killer (NK) cells.