Description:
NKT cell subsets can be divided based on CD4 and NK1.1 expression and tissue of origin, but the developmental and functional relationships between the different subsets still are poorly understood. A comprehensive study of 19 cytokines across different NKT cell subsets revealed that no two NKT subpopulations exhibited the same cytokine profile, and, remarkably, the amounts of each cytokine produced varied by up to 100-fold or more among subsets. This study also revealed the existence of a population of CD4-NK1.1 - NKT cells that produce high levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 within 2-3 h of activation. On intrathymic transfer these cells develop into mature CD4-NK1.1+ but not into CD4 +NK1.1+ NKT cells, indicating that CD4-NK1. 1- NKT cells include an IL-17-producing subpopulation, and also mark the elusive branch point for CD4+ and CD4- NKT cell sublineages.
Description:
NKT cell subsets can be divided based on CD4 and NK1.1 expression and tissue of origin, but the developmental and functional relationships between the different subsets still are poorly understood. A comprehensive study of 19 cytokines across different NKT cell subsets revealed that no two NKT subpopulations exhibited the same cytokine profile, and, remarkably, the amounts of each cytokine produced varied by up to 100-fold or more among subsets. This study also revealed the existence of a population of CD4-NK1.1 - NKT cells that produce high levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 within 2-3 h of activation. On intrathymic transfer these cells develop into mature CD4-NK1.1+ but not into CD4 +NK1.1+ NKT cells, indicating that CD4-NK1. 1- NKT cells include an IL-17-producing subpopulation, and also mark the elusive branch point for CD4+ and CD4- NKT cell sublineages.
Description:
Abstract | Natural killer T (NKT) cells are important regulatory lymphocytes that have been shown in mouse studies, to have a crucial role in promoting immunity to tumours, bacteria and viruses, and in suppressing cell-mediated autoimmunity. Many clinical studies have indicated that NKT cell deficiencies and functional defects might also contribute to similar human diseases, although there is no real consensus about the nature of the NKT cell defects or whether NKT cells could be important for the diagnosis and/or treatment of these conditions. In this Review, we describe the approaches that have been used to analyse the NKT cell populations of various patient groups, suggest new strategies to determine how (or indeed, if) NKT cell defects contribute to human disease, and discuss the prospects for using NKT cells for therapeutic benefit.