title: Valpha14 NKT cell-mediated anti-tumor responses and their clinical application.
abstract: A unique lymphocyte population, Valpha14 NKT cells, has recently been revealed to be a key player in the immune responses against tumors. Activation of Valpha14 NKT cells affects various cell types, particularly dendritic cells (DCs), NK cells, CD4 Th1 cells, and CD8 cytotoxic T cells in the innate and acquired immune systems, eventually resulting in the enhanced activation of NKT cell-mediated cellular cascade in the anti-tumor responses. The specific ligand, alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), effectively stimulates mouse and human NKT cells, making NKT cells an ideal target for the development of cancer immunotherapy. Clinical trials using alpha-GalCer have actually started in several centers in the world. In this review, we summarize the Valpha14 NKT cell-mediated cellular cascade in the anti-tumor response in mice and discuss potential clinical applications of alpha-GalCer-pulsed DC therapy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Immune Regulation, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Suehiro-cho 1-7-22, Tsurumi, 230-0045 Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seino
authors.forename: Shin-Ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Michishige
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Motohashi
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000502:physiology; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell
chemical_list: D005699:Galactosylceramides; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell; C493154:alpha-galactosylceramide