scholarly journals Natural Killer T Cells (NKT cells) Functions in Malignancies

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Balouchi-Anaraki ◽  
Marzie Nourozian
Keyword(s):  
Natural Killer ◽  
Tumor Immunity ◽  
Nkt Cells ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Type I ◽  
Ligand Specificity ◽  
Rapid Responses ◽  
Tcr Repertoire ◽  
Killer T Cells

CD1d-restricted natural killer (NKT) cells are unique innate like T lymphocyte that recognize glycolipid antigens. Two major NKT cell subsets, type I and type II, are different in their TCR repertoire and ligand specificity. Up on activation, NKT cells mediated strong and rapid responses through their ability to rapidly produce a large amount of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Despite being a small population of αβ T lymphocytes, they can bridge the innate and adaptive arm of immune system through interaction with other immune components. These two subsets of NKT cells play critical apposite roles in anti-tumor immunity. This review focuses on the progress made in understanding the role of NKT cells in tumor immunity and how their activities can be useful in immunotherapeutic strategies.

scholarly journals Type I natural killer T cells suppress tumors caused by p53 loss in mice

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (25) ◽  
pp. 6382-6385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy B. Swann ◽  
Adam P. Uldrich ◽  
Serani van Dommelen ◽  
Janelle Sharkey ◽  
William K. Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Natural Killer ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Natural Killer T Cells ◽  
Nkt Cells ◽  
Type I ◽  
Killer T Cells ◽  
Natural Killer T

Abstract CD1d-restricted T cells are considered to play a host protective effect in tumor immunity, yet the evidence for a role of natural killer T (NKT) cells in tumor immune surveillance has been weak and data from several tumor models has suggested that some (type II) CD1d-restricted T cells may also suppress some types of antitumor immune response. To substantiate an important role for CD1d-restricted T cells in host response to cancer, we have evaluated tumor development in p53+/− mice lacking either type I NKT cells (TCR Jα18−/−) or all CD1d-restricted T cells (CD1d−/−). Our findings support a key role for type I NKT cells in suppressing the onset of sarcomas and hematopoietic cancers caused by p53 loss but do not suggest that other CD1d-restricted T cells are critical in regulating the same tumor development.

scholarly journals β-Mannosylceramide Activates Type I Natural Killer T Cells to Induce Tumor Immunity without Inducing Long-Term Functional Anergy

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 4404-4411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica J. O'Konek ◽  
Shingo Kato ◽  
Satomi Takao ◽  
Liat Izhak ◽  
Zheng Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Natural Killer ◽  
Tumor Immunity ◽  
Natural Killer T Cells ◽  
Type I ◽  
Killer T Cells ◽  
Natural Killer T

Role of NKT cells in the digestive system. IV. The role of canonical natural killer T cells in mucosal immunity and inflammation

2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (1) ◽  
pp. G1-G8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard Wingender ◽  
Mitchell Kronenberg
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Natural Killer ◽  
Nkt Cells ◽  
Mucosal Tissues ◽  
And Function ◽  
Antigen Presenting ◽  
Killer T Cells ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Natural Killer T

Lymphocytes that combine features of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells are named natural killer T (NKT) cells. The majority of NKT cells in mice bear highly conserved invariant Vα chains, and to date two populations of such canonical NKT cells are known in mice: those that express Vα14 and those that express Vα7.2. Both populations are selected by nonpolymorphic major histocompatibility complex class I-like antigen-presenting molecules expressed by hematopoietic cells in the thymus: CD1d for Vα14-expressing NKT cells and MR1 for those cells expressing Vα7.2. The more intensely studied Vα14 NKT cells have been implicated in diverse immune reactions, including immune regulation and inflammation in the intestine; the Vα7.2 expressing cells are most frequently found in the lamina propria. In humans, populations of canonical NKT cells are found to be highly similar in terms of the expression of homologous, invariant T cell antigen-receptor α-chains, specificity, and function, although their frequency differs from those in the mouse. In this review, we will focus on the role of both of these canonical NKT cell populations in the mucosal tissues of the intestine.

scholarly journals The Role of NKT Cells in Glioblastoma

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1641
Author(s):  
Emily E. S. Brettschneider ◽  
Masaki Terabe
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Nkt Cells ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Central Nervous System Diseases ◽  
Nkt Cell ◽  
Lipid Antigens ◽  
Immunoregulatory Mechanisms

Glioblastoma is an aggressive and deadly cancer, but to date, immunotherapies have failed to make significant strides in improving prognoses for glioblastoma patients. One of the current challenges to developing immunological interventions for glioblastoma is our incomplete understanding of the numerous immunoregulatory mechanisms at play in the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment. We propose that Natural Killer T (NKT) cells, which are unconventional T lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens presented by CD1d molecules, may play a key immunoregulatory role in glioblastoma. For example, evidence suggests that the activation of type I NKT cells can facilitate anti-glioblastoma immune responses. On the other hand, type II NKT cells are known to play an immunosuppressive role in other cancers, as well as to cross-regulate type I NKT cell activity, although their specific role in glioblastoma remains largely unclear. This review provides a summary of our current understanding of NKT cells in the immunoregulation of glioblastoma as well as highlights the involvement of NKT cells in other cancers and central nervous system diseases.

scholarly journals Type I Natural Killer T Cells as Key Regulators of the Immune Response to Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. e00232-20
Author(s):  
Nicolás M. S. Gálvez ◽  
Karen Bohmwald ◽  
Gaspar A. Pacheco ◽  
Catalina A. Andrade ◽  
Leandro J. Carreño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Natural Killer ◽  
Nkt Cells ◽  
Interleukin 4 ◽  
Type I ◽  
Inkt Cells ◽  
Class I Mhc ◽  
Natural Killer T

SUMMARYThe immune system must work in an orchestrated way to achieve an optimal response upon detection of antigens. The cells comprising the immune response are traditionally divided into two major subsets, innate and adaptive, with particular characteristics for each type. Type I natural killer T (iNKT) cells are defined as innate-like T cells sharing features with both traditional adaptive and innate cells, such as the expression of an invariant T cell receptor (TCR) and several NK receptors. The invariant TCR in iNKT cells interacts with CD1d, a major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I)-like molecule. CD1d can bind and present antigens of lipid nature and induce the activation of iNKT cells, leading to the secretion of various cytokines, such as gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin 4 (IL-4). These cytokines will aid in the activation of other immune cells following stimulation of iNKT cells. Several molecules with the capacity to bind to CD1d have been discovered, including α-galactosylceramide. Likewise, several molecules have been synthesized that are capable of polarizing iNKT cells into different profiles, either pro- or anti-inflammatory. This versatility allows NKT cells to either aid or impair the clearance of pathogens or to even control or increase the symptoms associated with pathogenic infections. Such diverse contributions of NKT cells to infectious diseases are supported by several publications showing either a beneficial or detrimental role of these cells during diseases. In this article, we discuss current data relative to iNKT cells and their features, with an emphasis on their driving role in diseases produced by pathogenic agents in an organ-oriented fashion.

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