[4][5] Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells express high levels of and are dependent on the transcriptional regulator promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger for their development.
The highly conserved TCR is made of Va24-Ja18 paired with Vb11 in humans, which is specific for glycolipid antigens.
[8] The best known antigen of iNKT cells is alpha-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), which is a synthetic form of a chemical purified from the deep sea sponge Agelas mauritianus.
[10] Once activated iNKT cells can impact the type and strength of an immune response.
Absence of microbe exposure in early development led to increased iNKT cells and immune morbidity in a mouse model.
[13] Upon activation, NKT cells are able to produce large quantities of interferon gamma, IL-4, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, as well as multiple other cytokines and chemokines (such as IL-2, IL-13, IL-17, IL-21, and TNF-alpha).
This serves as a pathway for NKT cells to fight against infections and enhance the humoral immunity.
NKT cells have recently been implicated in the disease progression of human asthma.
[15] The clinical potential of NKT cells lies in the rapid release of cytokines (such as IL-2, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-4) that promote or suppress different immune responses.