Natural killer T cells: natural or unnatural regulators of autoimmunity?

✍ Scribed by Kirsten JL Hammond; Mitchell Kronenberg

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 164 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0952-7915
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2003.09.014

✦ Synopsis

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a unique lymphocyte subtype implicated in the regulation of autoimmunity, particularly diabetes and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in animal models. In some reports, NKT-cell regulation was revealed only following vigorous activation by a synthetic glycolipid, a process that might not occur naturally. Patients with diverse autoimmune diseases have reduced NKT-cell counts and, in diabetes and multiple sclerosis, effective NKT-cell regulation correlates with the secretion of Th2 cytokines. Although current controversy surrounds the importance of NKT cells and their modes of action, they represent a potentially important clinical target.