Murine natural killer T(NKT) cells [correction of natural killer cells] contribute to the granulomatous reaction caused by mycobacterial cell walls.
Mice injected with deproteinized cell walls prepared from the strain H37rv of Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop a granuloma-like lesion in which NKT cells are predominant. NKT cells play a primary role in the granulomatous response, because the latter does not occur in Jalpha281(-/-) mice, which miss NKT cells. The glycolipidic fraction of the cell walls is responsible for the recruitment of NKT cells; the recruiting activity is associated with fractions containing phosphatidylinositolmannosides. These results define a powerful experimental set up for studying the in vivo induction of NKT cell responses to microbial components.
Apostolou
I
I
Unité de Biologie Moléculaire du Gène, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U277, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Takahama
Y
Y
Belmant
C
C
Kawano
T
T
Huerre
M
M
Marchal
G
G
Cui
J
J
Taniguchi
M
M
Nakauchi
H
H
Fournié
J J
JJ
Kourilsky
P
P
Gachelin
G
G
D000818:Animals; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006099:Granuloma / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology