Antigen‐specific recognition of bacterial antigens by NKT cells

Lipid binding orientation within CD1d affects recognition of Borrelia burgorferi antigens by NKT cells.

Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) respond to CD1d-presented glycolipids from Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Although mouse and human iNKT cells respond to different antigens based on subtle differences in their fatty acids, the mechanism by which fatty acid structure determines antigenic potency is not well understood. Here we show that the mouse and huma...

Cutting edge: structural basis for the recognition of β-linked glycolipid antigens by invariant NKT cells.

Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells expressing a semi-invariant Vα14 TCR recognize self and foreign lipid Ags when presented by the nonclassical MHCI homolog CD1d. Whereas the majority of known iNKT cell Ags are characterized by the presence of a single α-linked sugar, mammalian self Ags are β-linked glycosphingolipids, posing the interesting question of how the semi-invariant TCR can bind to such struc...

Recognition of microbial and mammalian phospholipid antigens by NKT cells with diverse TCRs.

CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells include two major subgroups. The most widely studied are Vα14Jα18(+) invariant NKT (iNKT) cells that recognize the prototypical α-galactosylceramide antigen, whereas the other major group uses diverse T-cell receptor (TCR) α-and β-chains, does not recognize α-galactosylceramide, and is referred to as diverse NKT (dNKT) cells. dNKT cells play importan...

Cutting Edge: Structural Basis for the Recognition of b-Linked Glycolipid Antigens by Invariant NKT Cells

Lysosomal glycosphingolipid recognition by NKT cells.

NKT cells represent a distinct lineage of T cells that coexpress a conserved alphabeta T cell receptor (TCR) and natural killer (NK) receptors. Although the TCR of NKT cells is characteristically autoreactive to CD1d, a lipid-presenting molecule, endogenous ligands for these cells have not been identified. We show that a lysosomal glycosphingolipid of previously unknown function, isoglobotrihex...