How T cells get grip on lipid antigens

Lipid antigens are presented to T cells as complexes formed with CD1 family members. The hydrophobic nature of lipids influences how they remain in biological fluids, are distributed within cells, and are handled to become immunogenic. Continuously expanding knowledge shows how lipids are internalized by APC, traffic through the endocytic system, are processed to generate immunogenic molecules, and are loaded on CD1 proteins. The molecular bases of how lipids interact with CD1 and TCR are being defined. A breakthrough in the field has been the discovery that exogenous and endogenous lipids stimulate T cells which mount adaptive and innate-like responses. Disclosure of molecular protagonists and mechanisms of both responses has great promise for development of novel lipid-based vaccines and immunotherapies.