University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Nat Immunol. 2010 Mar;11(3):197-206. doi: 10.1038/ni.1841. Epub 2010 Feb 7.
Natural killer T cells (NKT cells) are CD1d-restricted, lipid antigen-reactive, immunoregulatory T lymphocytes that can promote cell-mediated immunity to tumors and infectious organisms, including bacteria and viruses, yet paradoxically they can also suppress the cell-mediated immunity associated with autoimmune disease and allograft rejection. Furthermore, in some diseases, such as atherosclerosis and allergy, NKT cell activity can be deleterious to the host. Although the precise means by which these cells carry out such contrasting functions is unclear, recent studies have highlighted the existence of many functionally distinct NKT cell subsets. Because their frequency and number vary widely between individuals, it is important to understand the mechanisms that regulate the development and maintenance of NKT cells and subsets thereof, which is the subject of this review.
自然杀伤 T 细胞（NKT 细胞）是 CD1d 限制性、脂质抗原反应性、免疫调节性 T 淋巴细胞，可促进对肿瘤和感染性生物体（包括细菌和病毒）的细胞介导免疫，但矛盾的是，它们也可以抑制与自身免疫性疾病和同种异体移植物排斥相关的细胞介导免疫。此外，在某些疾病中，如动脉粥样硬化和过敏，NKT 细胞的活性可能对宿主有害。尽管这些细胞执行这些相反功能的确切方式尚不清楚，但最近的研究强调了存在许多功能不同的 NKT 细胞亚群。由于它们在个体之间的频率和数量差异很大，因此了解调节 NKT 细胞及其亚群的发育和维持的机制非常重要，这是本综述的主题。
