Cross-dressers turn on T cells

Mixing Signals: Molecular Turn Ons and Turn Offs for Innate γδ T-Cells

Lymphocytes of the gamma delta (γδ) T-cell lineage are evolutionary conserved and although they express rearranged antigen-specific receptors, a large proportion respond as innate effectors. γδ T-cells are poised to combat infection by responding rapidly to cytokine stimuli similar to innate lymphoid cells. This potential to initiate strong inflammatory responses necessitates that inhibitory si...

Hints to Dressers

Hints to Dressers

New ways to turn on NKT cells

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are CD1d-restricted, lipid antigen-reactive T cells with powerful immunoregulatory potential. The prototypic antigen for NKT cells is a marine sponge-derived glycolipid, α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), but this is not normally encountered in the mammalian environment. Thus, there is great interest in the identification of more physiological stimuli for NKT cells, a...

Dendritic cells turn traitorous

endritic cells present antigens during immune responses and are thought to be important in antitumor activity. However, under the influence of the known cancer promoter VEGF-A, dendritic cell precursors take on the trappings of endothelial cells and contribute to tumor blood vessels, speeding the cancer’s growth, according to a report by Jose Conejo-Garcia, Fabian Benencia, George Coukos (Unive...