NKT cells: In the beginning...

Macdonald HR

doi:10.1002/eji.200737527

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Journal article

NKT cells: In the beginning...

Macdonald HR Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland. hughrobson.macdonald@isrec.unil.ch

2007-11-01

Published in:

European journal of immunology. - 2007

English Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells as we know them today are a unique subset of mature T cells co-expressing a semi-invariant Valpha14/Vbeta8 TCR and surface markers characteristic of NK cells. The semi-invariant TCR on iNKT cells recognizes glycolipids bound to monomorphic CD1d molecules, leading to rapid cytokine production. The purpose of this historical perspective is to describe how a series of seemingly unrelated findings in the late 1980s and early 1990s crystallized in the discovery of iNKT cells. The story is told from a personal viewpoint, with a particular effort to place both breakthroughs and misinterpretations in the context of their era.

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