Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
J Exp Med. 2011 Jun 6;208(6):1151-62. doi: 10.1084/jem.20102229. Epub 2011 May 30.
Invariant NKT cells (iNKT cells) are a unique subset of T lymphocytes that rapidly carry out effector functions. In this study, we report that a majority of sterile house dust extracts (HDEs) tested contained antigens capable of activating mouse and human iNKT cells. HDEs had adjuvant-like properties in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model, which were dependent on Vα14i NKT cells, as vaccinated animals deficient for iNKT cells displayed significantly attenuated immune responses and airway inflammation. Furthermore, the administration of HDEs together with OVA mutually augmented the synthesis of cytokines by Vα14i NKT cells and by conventional CD4(+) T cells in the lung, demonstrating a profound immune response synergy for both Th2 cytokines and IL-17A. These data demonstrate that iNKT cell antigens are far more widely dispersed in the environment than previously anticipated. Furthermore, as the antigenic activity in different houses varied greatly, they further suggest that iNKT cell responses to ambient antigens, particular to certain environments, might promote sensitization to conventional respiratory allergens.
不变自然杀伤 T 细胞（iNKT 细胞）是 T 淋巴细胞的一个独特亚群，能够迅速发挥效应功能。在这项研究中，我们报告称，大多数无菌房屋尘提取物（HDE）中都含有能够激活小鼠和人类 iNKT 细胞的抗原。HDE 在卵清蛋白（OVA）诱导的哮喘模型中具有佐剂样特性，这依赖于 Vα14i NKT 细胞，因为接种疫苗的 iNKT 细胞缺陷动物表现出明显减弱的免疫反应和气道炎症。此外，HDE 与 OVA 联合给药可相互增强肺中 Vα14i NKT 细胞和常规 CD4(+)T 细胞的细胞因子合成，表明 Th2 细胞因子和 IL-17A 的免疫反应协同作用非常显著。这些数据表明，iNKT 细胞抗原在环境中的分布远比以前预期的广泛。此外，由于不同房屋中的抗原活性差异很大，它们进一步表明，iNKT 细胞对环境抗原的反应，特别是对某些环境的反应，可能会促进对传统呼吸道过敏原的致敏。
