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NKT cells: In the beginning

H Robson Macdonald1

  • 1Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland. hughrobson.macdonald@isrec.unil.ch

European Journal of Immunology
|November 1, 2007
PubMed

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells as we know them today are a unique subset of mature T cells co-expressing a semi-invariant Valpha14/Vbeta8 TCR and surface markers characteristic of NK cells. The semi-invariant TCR on iNKT cells recognizes glycolipids bound to monomorphic CD1d molecules, leading to rapid cytokine production. The purpose of this historical perspective is to describe how a series of seemingly unrelated findings in the late 1980s and early 1990s crystallized in the discovery of iNKT cells. The story is told from a personal viewpoint, with a particular effort to place both breakthroughs and misinterpretations in the context of their era.

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