Alysia M Birkholz, Enrico Girardi, Gerhard Wingender, Archana Khurana, Jing Wang, Meng Zhao, Sonja Zahner, Petr A Illarionov, Xiangshu Wen, Michelle Li, Weiming Yuan, Steven A Porcelli, Gurdyal S Besra, Dirk M Zajonc, Mitchell Kronenberg
In this article, we characterize a novel Ag for invariant NKT (iNKT) cells capable of producing an especially robust Th1 response. This glycosphingolipid, DB06-1, is similar in chemical structure to the well-studied α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), with the only change being a single atom: the substitution of a carbonyl oxygen with a sulfur atom. Although DB06-1 is not a more effective Ag in vitro, the small chemical change has a marked impact on the ability of this lipid Ag to stimulate iNKT cells in vivo, with increased IFN-γ production at 24 h compared with αGalCer, increased IL-12, and increased activation of NK cells to produce IFN-γ...
August 1, 2015: Journal of Immunology