Natural killer (NK) T cells are a lymphocyte subset with a distinct surface phenotype, an invariant T cell receptor (TCR), and reactivity to CD1. Here we show that mouse NK T cells can recognize human CD1d as well as mouse CD1, and human NK T cells also recognize both CD1 homologues. The unprecedented degree of conservation of this T cell recognition system suggests that it is fundamentally important. Mouse or human CD1 molecules can present the glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) to NK T cells from either species. Human T cells, preselected for invariant Vα24 TCR expression, uniformly recognize α-GalCer presented by either human CD1d or mouse CD1. In addition, culture of human peripheral blood cells with α-GalCer led to the dramatic expansion of NK T cells with an invariant (Vα24+) TCR and the release of large amounts of cytokines. Because invariant Vα14+ and Vα24+ NK T cells have been implicated both in the control of autoimmune disease and the response to tumors, our data suggest that α-GalCer could be a useful agent for modulating human immune responses by activation of the highly conserved NK T cell subset.
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19 October 1998
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October 19 1998
CD1d-mediated Recognition of an α-Galactosylceramide by Natural Killer T Cells Is Highly Conserved through Mammalian Evolution
Laurent Brossay,
Laurent Brossay
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Mariacristina Chioda,
Mariacristina Chioda
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Nicolas Burdin,
Nicolas Burdin
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Yasuhiko Koezuka,
Yasuhiko Koezuka
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Giulia Casorati,
Giulia Casorati
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Paolo Dellabona,
Paolo Dellabona
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Mitchell Kronenberg
Mitchell Kronenberg
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
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Laurent Brossay
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Mariacristina Chioda
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Nicolas Burdin
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Yasuhiko Koezuka
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Giulia Casorati
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Paolo Dellabona
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Mitchell Kronenberg
From the *La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, San Diego, California 92121; ‡DIBIT, H.S. Raffaele Institute, I-20132 Milano, Italy; and §Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd., Gunma 370-12, Japan
Address correspondence to Mitchell Kronenberg, La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology, 10355 Science Center Dr., San Diego, CA 92121. Phone: 619-678-4540; Fax: 619-678-4595; E-mail: [email protected]
Received:
June 18 1998
Revision Received:
July 20 1998
Online ISSN: 1540-9538
Print ISSN: 0022-1007
1998
J Exp Med (1998) 188 (8): 1521–1528.
Article history
Received:
June 18 1998
Revision Received:
July 20 1998
Citation
Laurent Brossay, Mariacristina Chioda, Nicolas Burdin, Yasuhiko Koezuka, Giulia Casorati, Paolo Dellabona, Mitchell Kronenberg; CD1d-mediated Recognition of an α-Galactosylceramide by Natural Killer T Cells Is Highly Conserved through Mammalian Evolution . J Exp Med 19 October 1998; 188 (8): 1521–1528. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.188.8.1521
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