title: [The role of natural killer T cells in host defense to cryptococcal infection--a bridge from innate to acquired immunity].
abstract: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infectious pathogen in immunocompromised patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and hematological malignancies. The host defense to this pathogen is mediated mostly by cellular immunity. Th1-type cytokines including IFN-gamma, IL-12 and IL-18 play a pivotal role in this process. Recently, innate immunity mediated by NK, NKT and gammma-delta-T cells has garnered much attention from investigators. NKT cell has been identified as a particular cell population which recognizes glycolipids and participates in the development of tumor immunity and autoimmune diseases. In the present review, the accumulating knowledge on the roles of NKT cells in host defense to infectious pathogens are summarized with our own data on cryptococcal infection.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawakami
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000502:physiology; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D016207:Cytokines