AUTHOR=Wang Haiguang , Hogquist Kristin A. 

TITLE=How Lipid-Specific T Cells Become Effectors: The Differentiation of iNKT Subsets

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01450

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2018.01450

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=In contrast to peptide recognizing T cells, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells express a semi-invariant T cell receptor (TCR) that specifically recognizes self- or foreign-lipids presented by CD1d molecules. There are three major functionally distinct effector states for iNKT cells. Owning to these innate-like effector states, iNKT cells have been implicated in early protective immunity against pathogens. Yet growing evidence suggests iNKT cells play a role in tissue homeostasis as well. In this review, we discuss current knowledge about the underlying mechanisms that regulate the effector states of iNKT subsets, with a highlight on the roles of a variety of transcription factors, and describe how each subset influences different facets of thymus homeostasis.