Natural killer T cell
group of T cells that share properties of both T cells and natural killer (NK) cells
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a heterogeneous group of T cells that recognise self and foreign lipids and glycolipids presented by CD1d, a non-polymorphic antigen-presenting molecule. They were originally described as expressing characteristics of both T and natural killer cells. Natural killer T cells are a distinct type of cells and should not be confused with natural killer cells or killer T cells (cytotoxic T cells). They constitute only approximately 1% of all peripheral blood T cells. Their function is to produce and release cytokines, kill other cells, and communicate with other cells in the immune system. They have been found to play a role in various autoimmune diseases.
Nomenclature
The term "NK T cells" was first used in mice to define a subset of T cells that expressed the natural killer (NK) cell-associated marker NK1.1 (CD161). It is now generally accepted that the term "NKT cells" refers to CD1d-restricted T cells, present in mice and humans, some of which coexpress a heavily biased, semi-invariant T-cell receptor and NK cell markers.
Molecular characterization
NKT cells are a subset of T cells that coexpress an αβ T-cell receptor, but also express a variety of molecular markers that are typically associated with NK cells, such as NK1.1. The best-known NKT cells differ from conventional αβ T cells in that their T-cell receptors are far more limited in diversity ('invariant' or 'type 1' NKT).
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This entry incorporates text from “Natural killer T cell” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.