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Control of early stages in invariant natural killer T‐cell development
Author(s) -
Hu Taishan,
Gimferrer Idoia,
AlberolaIla José
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2011.03463.x
Subject(s) - natural killer t cell , cd1d , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , cd8 , t cell receptor , cd1 , thymocyte , cytotoxic t cell , major histocompatibility complex , t cell , receptor , antigen , immune system , antigen presenting cell , immunology , genetics , in vitro
Summary Natural killer T (NKT) cells develop in the thymus from the same precursors as conventional CD4 + and CD8 + αβ T cells, CD4 + CD8 + double‐positive cells. In contrast to conventional αβT cells, which are selected by MHC–peptide complexes presented by thymic epithelial cells, invariant NKT cells are selected by lipid antigens presented by the non‐polymorphic, MHC I‐like molecule CD1d, present on the surface of other double‐positive thymocytes, and require additional signals from the signalling lymphocytic–activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors. In this review, we provide a discussion of recent findings that have modified our understanding of the NKT cell developmental programme, with an emphasis on events that affect the early stages of this process. This includes factors that control double‐positive thymocyte lifespan, and therefore the ability to generate the canonical Vα rearrangements that characterize this lineage, as well as the signal transduction pathways engaged downstream of the T‐cell receptor and SLAM molecules.