Distinct APCs explain the cytokine bias of α-galactosylceramide variants in vivo.

Distinct APCs Explain the Cytokine Bias of a-Galactosylceramide Variants In Vivo

A Rapid Fluorescence-Based Assay for Classification of iNKT Cell Activating Glycolipids

Structural variants of α-galactosylceramide (αGC) that activate invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) are being developed as potential immunomodulatory agents for a variety of applications. Identification of specific forms of these glycolipids that bias responses to favor production of proinflammatory vs anti-inflammatory cytokines is central to current efforts, but this goal has been h...

The bovine CD1D gene has an unusual gene structure and is expressed but cannot present α-galactosylceramide with a C26 fatty acid.

Although CD1d and NKT cells have been proposed to have highly conserved functions in mammals, data on functions of CD1d and NKT cells in species other than humans and rodents are lacking. Upon stimulation with the CD1d-presented synthetic antigen α-galactosylceramide, human and rodent type I invariant NKT cells release large amounts of cytokines. The two bovine CD1D (boCD1D) genes have structur...

Psychosine variants as antigens for natural killer T cells.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells play a central role in the interface between innate and adaptive immunity, and alpha-galactosylceramide was recently shown to be an endogenous antigen for these cells. The source of alpha-galactosylceramide has not yet been determined; however, in vivo degradation of alpha-galactosylceramide involves generation of alpha-psychosine (alpha-galactosylsphingosine). Alph...

Activation of human invariant natural killer T cells with a thioglycoside analogue of α-galactosylceramide.

Activation of CD1d-restricted invariant NKT (iNKT) cells with the glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) confers protection against disease in murine models, however, clinical trials in humans have had limited impact. We synthesized a novel thioglycoside analogue of α-GalCer, denoted α-S-GalCer, and tested its efficacy for stimulating human iNKT cells in vitro. α-S-GalCer stimulated cytokin...