NK-T Cell Biology

Question 1

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a distinct subset of T lymphocytes which are characterized by restricted expression of . . .

Answer 1

. . . an invariant Vα24-Jα18 T cell receptor (TCR) chain paired with Vβ11 TCR chain in human. These recognize glycolipid antigens presented on CD1d.

Question 2

Flow cytometric identification of NKTs

Answer 2

CD3⁺ TCRv11β⁺

Question 3

Fundamental NKT synapsing interaction

Answer 3

CD1d* and TCRv11β

Question 4

NKT cells, once activated, may be major sources of ___ or ___.

Answer 4

NKT cells, once activated, may be major sources of IFN-γ or IL-4.

Question 5

Activated NKT cells upregulate the surface markers ___ and ___.

Answer 5

Activated NKT cells upregulate the surface markers CD25 (IL-2R) and CD69 (a C type lectin and a lymphoid cell activation and proliferation marker).

Question 6

Central memory T cell (or NK T cell) markers

Answer 6

CD45RO⁺CD62L^highCCR7^high

Question 7

Effector memory T cell (or NK T cell) markers

Answer 7

CD45RO⁺CD62L^lowCCR7^low

Question 8

“Sub-groups” of NKTs

Answer 8

CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and CD4^-CD8^-