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The immunoregulatory role of type I and type II NKT cells in cancer and other diseases

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Abstract

NKT cells are CD1d-restricted T cells that recognize lipid antigens. They also have been shown to play critical roles in the regulation of immune responses. In the immune responses against tumors, two subsets of NKT cells, type I and type II, play opposing roles and cross-regulate each other. As members of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, which form a network of multiple components, they also interact with other immune components. Here, we discuss the function of NKT cells in tumor immunity and their interaction with other regulatory cells, especially CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the intramural research program of the National Cancer Institute, NIH and the Gui Foundation.

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Authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 41-Room D702, 41 Medlars Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Masaki Terabe & Jay A. Berzofsky

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  1. Masaki Terabe
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Correspondence to Masaki Terabe.

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Terabe, M., Berzofsky, J.A. The immunoregulatory role of type I and type II NKT cells in cancer and other diseases. Cancer Immunol Immunother 63, 199–213 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-013-1509-4

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