Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Dec 16;18(12):15662-88.
doi: 10.3390/molecules181215662.

Stimulation of natural killer T cells by glycolipids

Brian L Anderson, Luc Teyton, Albert Bendelac, Paul B Savage  1
Affiliations
Review

Stimulation of natural killer T cells by glycolipids

Brian L Anderson et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a subset of T cells that recognize glycolipid antigens presented by the CD1d protein. The initial discovery of immunostimulatory glycolipids from a marine sponge and the T cells that respond to the compounds has led to extensive research by chemists and immunologists to understand how glycolipids are recognized, possible responses by NKT cells, and the structural features of glycolipids necessary for stimulatory activity. The presence of this cell type in humans and most mammals suggests that it plays critical roles in antigen recognition and the interface between innate and adaptive immunity. Both endogenous and exogenous natural antigens for NKT cells have been identified, and it is likely that glycolipid antigens remain to be discovered. Multiple series of structurally varied glycolipids have been synthesized and tested for stimulatory activity. The structural features of glycolipids necessary for NKT cell stimulation are moderately well understood, and designed compounds have proven to be much more potent antigens than their natural counterparts. Nevertheless, control over NKT cell responses by designed glycolipids has not been optimized, and further research will be required to fully reveal the therapeutic potential of this cell type.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative structures of an agelasphin and KRN7000.
Figure 2
Figure 2
iNKT cell antigens derived from pathogenic sources.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proposed endogenous iNKT cell antigens.
Figure 4
Figure 4
iNKT cell antigens with varied lipid tails.
Figure 5
Figure 5
iNKT cell antigens with varied sphingosine structures.
Figure 6
Figure 6
C-glycoside antigens for iNKT cells.
Figure 7
Figure 7
6"-α-GalCer analogs for iNKT cells
Figure 8
Figure 8
Carbocyclic analogs of α-GalCer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bendelac A., Savage P.B., Teyton L. The biology of NKT cells. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 2007;25:297–336. doi: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.25.022106.141711. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Savage P.B., Teyton L., Bendelac A. Glycolipids for natural killer T cells. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2006;35:771–779. doi: 10.1039/b510638a. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gapin L., Godfrey D.I., Rossjohn J. Natural killer T cell obsession with self-antigens. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 2013;25:168–173. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2013.01.002. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pellicci D.G., Patel O., Kjer-Nielsen L., Pang S.S., Sullivan L.C., Kyparissoudis K., Brooks A.G., Reid H.H., Gras S., Lucet I.S.;et al. Differential recognition of CD1d-alpha-galactosyl ceramide by the v beta 8.2 and v beta 7 semi-invariant NKT T cell receptors. Immunity. 2009;31:47–59. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2009.04.018. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zajonc D.M., Kronenberg M. Cd1 mediated T cell recognition of glycolipids. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 2007;17:521–529. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2007.09.010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types