Saikh Kamal U, Kissner Teri, Ulrich Robert G
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD 21702-5011, USA.
Immunology. 2002 Jul;106(3):363-72. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2567.2002.01446.x.
A subset of mononuclear cells present in most tissues coexpresses receptors of both natural killer (NK) and T cells. Although linked to antiviral immunity, the function of these putative NKT cells is uncertain. We present evidence that human CD56+ DR- NKT cells exhibit hybrid adaptive and innate immune functions. These cells spontaneously lysed tumour cell targets and upon engagement of T-cell antigen receptors secreted the cytokines interferon-gamma and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Conversely, GM-CSF treatment transformed the NKT cells into dendritic cells, inducing rapid expression of HLA-DR and the co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86. The ability to stimulate tetanus toxoid-specific responses from naïve T cells was acquired within 3 days of activating CD56+ NKT cells with GM-CSF. These results suggest a potential role for NKT cells in the initiation and control of primary immunity during the acute phase of infection.
大多数组织中存在的一部分单核细胞共表达自然杀伤（NK）细胞和T细胞的受体。尽管与抗病毒免疫相关，但这些假定的NKT细胞的功能尚不确定。我们提供的证据表明，人类CD56+DR-NKT细胞具有适应性免疫和先天性免疫的混合功能。这些细胞可自发裂解肿瘤细胞靶标，并且在T细胞抗原受体被激活后分泌细胞因子γ干扰素和粒细胞巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（GM-CSF）。相反，GM-CSF处理可将NKT细胞转化为树突状细胞，诱导HLA-DR以及共刺激分子CD80和CD86的快速表达。在用GM-CSF激活CD56+NKT细胞后的3天内，这些细胞获得了刺激幼稚T细胞产生破伤风类毒素特异性反应的能力。这些结果表明，NKT细胞在感染急性期的初次免疫启动和控制中可能发挥作用。
