Distinct roles of dendritic cells and B cells in Va14Ja18 natural T cell activation in vivo.

Va14Ja18 natural T (iNKT) cells are innate, immunoregulatory lymphocytes that recognize CD1d-restricted lipid Ags such as alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha GalCer). The immunoregulatory functions of iNKT cells are dependent upon either IFN-gamma or IL-4 production by these cells. We hypothesized that alpha GalCer presentation by different CD1d-positive cell types elicits distinct iNKT cell functions. In this study we report that dendritic cells (DC) play a critical role in alpha GalCer-mediated activation of iNKT cells and subsequent transactivation of NK cells. Remarkably, B lymphocytes suppress DC-mediated iNKT and NK cell activation. Nevertheless, alpha GalCer presentation by B cells elicits low IL-4 responses from iNKT cells. This finding is particularly interesting because we demonstrate that NOD DC are defective in eliciting iNKT cell function, but their B cells preferentially activate this T cell subset to secrete low levels of IL-4. Thus, the differential immune outcome based on the type of APC that displays glycolipid Ags in vivo has implications for the design of therapies that harness the immunoregulatory functions of iNKT cells.

NF-kappa B controls cell fate specification, survival, and molecular differentiation of immunoregulatory natural T lymphocytes.

Ontogenetic, homeostatic, and functional deficiencies within immunoregulatory natural T (iNKT) lymphocytes underlie various inflammatory immune disorders including autoimmunity. Signaling events that control cell fate specification and molecular differentiation of iNKT cells are only partly understood. Here we demonstrate that these processes within iNKT cells require classical NF-kappaB signaling. Inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling blocks iNKT cell ontogeny at an immature stage and reveals an apparent, novel precursor in which negative selection occurs. Most importantly, this block occurs due to a lack of survival signals, as Bcl-x(L) overexpression rescues iNKT cell ontogeny. Maturation of immature iNKT cell precursors induces Bcl-2 expression, which is defective in the absence of NF-kappaB signaling. Bcl-x(L) overexpression also rescues this maturation-induced Bcl-2 expression. Thus, antiapoptotic signals relayed by NF-kappaB critically control cell fate specification and molecular differentiation of iNKT cells and, hence, reveal a novel role for such signals within the immune system.

Another view of T cell antigen recognition: cooperative engagement of glycolipid antigens by Va14Ja18 natural T(iNKT) cell receptor [corrected].

Va14Ja18 natural T (iNKT) cells rapidly elicit a robust effector response to different glycolipid Ags, with distinct functional outcomes. Biochemical parameters controlling iNKT cell function are partly defined. However, the impact of iNKT cell receptor beta-chain repertoire and how alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) analogues induce distinct functional responses have remained elusive. Using altered glycolipid ligands, we discovered that the Vb repertoire of iNKT cells impacts recognition and Ag avidity, and that stimulation with suboptimal avidity Ag results in preferential expansion of high-affinity iNKT cells. iNKT cell proliferation and cytokine secretion, which correlate with iNKT cell receptor down-regulation, are induced within narrow biochemical thresholds. Multimers of CD1d1-alphaGalCer- and alphaGalCer analogue-loaded complexes demonstrate cooperative engagement of the Va14Ja18 iNKT cell receptor whose structure and/or organization appear distinct from conventional alphabeta TCR. Our findings demonstrate that iNKT cell functions are controlled by affinity thresholds for glycolipid Ags and reveal a novel property of their Ag receptor apparatus that may have an important role in iNKT cell activation.

A murine locus on chromosome 18 controls NKT cell homeostasis and Th cell differentiation.

Th cell differentiation is a critical event in the adaptive immune response. C57BL strains develop predominant Th1 responses while BALB/c develops a predominant Th2 response. To identify quantitative trait loci controlling this variation, we performed Th1/Th2 differentiation assays of F(1) x BALB/c progeny. A single strong quantitative trait locus was identified on chromosome 18, with weaker effects detectable on chromosomes 5, 12, and 14. By preparing a congenic BALB.B10.D2c18 strain, we were able to demonstrate that this single locus was sufficient to "repolarize" spleen cell cultures. This difference was not due to intrinsic differences in CD4(+) T cells. Rather, introgression of the chromosome 18 locus into BALB/c disrupted Va14Ja18 NKT cell homeostasis resulting in the almost complete absence of this T cell subset. Taken together, these data indicate that genes within chromosome 18 control strain-dependent development of Va14Ja18 NKT cells.

Genetic dissection of V alpha 14J alpha 18 natural T cell number and function in autoimmune-prone mice.

Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model for type I diabetes (TID), have reduced numbers of invariant V alpha 14J alpha 18 TCR alpha-chain-positive natural T (iNKT) cells that do not release IL-4 in response to in vivo activation through their Ag receptor. The deficit in iNKT cell number and function is implicated in immune dysregulation and the etiology of TID. Therefore, we reasoned that the genetic determinant(s) that controls iNKT cell number and function might lie within Idd (insulin-dependent diabetes susceptibility locus) regions, which are known to contain TID resistance or susceptibility genes. A systematic analysis of iNKT cell number and function in Idd congenic mice revealed that neither iNKT cell number nor their inability to rapidly secrete IL-4 in response to acute in vivo activation by Ag underlies the mechanism of protection from diabetes in Idd congenic mice. Moreover, the regulation of iNKT cell number and function appears to be under the control of several genes. The most notable of these map to the Idd4, Idd5, Idd9.1, and Idd13 regions of the mouse genome. Together these findings provide a clue to the genetic mechanism(s) underlying iNKT cell deficiency in NOD mice.

Lipid protein interactions: the assembly of CD1d1 with cellular phospholipids occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum.

CD1d1 is a member of a family of lipid Ag-presenting molecules. The cellular ligands associated with CD1d1 were isolated and characterized by biochemical means as an approach to elucidate the mechanism by which CD1 molecules assemble in vivo. Natural ligands of mouse CD1d1 included cellular phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol-glycans that are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum. Further biochemical data revealed that the two CD1d1 mutants, one defective in recycling from-and-to the plasma membrane and the other in efficiently negotiating the secretory pathway, associated with phosphatidylinositol. Thus phosphatidylinositol associated with CD1d1 in the early secretory pathway. Phosphatidylinositol also associated with CD1d1 in Pig-A-deficient cells that are defective in the first glycosylation step of glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthesis. Moreover, cellular phosphatidylinositol-glycans are not Valpha14Jalpha15 natural T cell Ags. Therefore, we predict that cellular lipids occlude the hydrophobic Ag-binding groove of CD1 during assembly until they are exchanged for a glycolipid Ag(s) within the recycling compartment for display on the plasma membrane. In this manner, cellular lipids might play a chaperone-like role in the assembly of CD1d1 in vivo, akin to the function of invariant chain in MHC class II assembly.