In vivo identification of glycolipid antigen-specific T cells using fluorescent CD1d tetramers.
The CD1 family of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-like molecules specializes in presenting lipid and glycolipid antigens to alpha/beta T lymphocytes, but little is known about the size of the CD1-restricted T cell population or the frequency of T lymphocytes specific for a given glycolipid antigen. Here, we report the generation and use of mouse CD1d1-glycolipid tetramers to visualize CD1d-restricted T cells. In contrast with previous BIAcore-based estimates of very short half-lives for CD1d-glycolipid complexes, we found that the dissociation rate of several different CD1d-glycolipid complexes was very slow. Fluorescent tetramers of mouse CD1d1 complexed with alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer), the antigen recognized by mouse Valpha14-Jalpha281/Vbeta8 and human Valpha24-JalphaQ/Vbeta11 natural killer T (NKT) cell T cell receptors (TCRs), allowed us for the first time to accurately describe, based on TCR specificity, the entire population of NKT cells in vivo and to identify a previously unrecognized population of NK1.1-negative "NKT" cells, which expressed a different pattern of integrins. In contrast, natural killer (NK) cells failed to bind the tetramers either empty or loaded with alphaGalCer, suggesting the absence of a CD1d-specific, antigen-nonspecific NK receptor. Mouse CD1d1-alphaGalCer tetramers also stained human NKT cells, indicating that they will be useful for probing a range of mouse and human conditions such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, tumor rejection, and infectious diseases where NKT cells play an important role.
Benlagha
K
K
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, NJ 08544, USA.
Weiss
A
A
Beavis
A
A
Teyton
L
L
Bendelac
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D018949:Antigens, CD1 / Q000276:immunology*; D055610:Antigens, CD1d; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens; D018949:Antigens, CD1; D055610:Antigens, CD1d; C526877:CD1D protein, human; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005699:Galactosylceramides; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta