The natural killer T-cell ligand α-galactosylceramide prevents autoimmune diabetes in non-obese diab
Author: ["Seokmann Hong","Michael T. Wilson","Isao Serizawa","Lan Wu","Nagendra Singh","Olga V. Naidenko","Toru Miura","Tomoku Haba","David C. Scherer","Jie Wei","Mitchell Kronenberg","Yasuhiko Koezuka","Luc Van Kaer"]
Publication: Nature Medicine
CITE.CC academic search helps you expand the influence of your papers.
Abstract
Diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice is mediated by pathogenic T-helper type 1 (Th1) cells that arise because of a deficiency in regulatory or suppressor T cells1,2. Vα14–Jα15 natural killer T (NKT) cells recognize lipid antigens presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I-like protein CD1d (refs. 3,4). We have previously shown that in vivo activation of Vα14 NKT cells by α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and CD1d potentiates Th2-mediated adaptive immune responses5,6. Here we show that α-GalCer prevents development of diabetes in wild-type but not CD1d-deficient NOD mice. Disease prevention correlated with the ability of α-GalCer to suppress interferon-γ but not interleukin-4 production by NKT cells, to increase serum immunoglobulin E levels, and to promote the generation of islet autoantigen-specific Th2 cells. Because α-GalCer recognition by NKT cells is conserved among mice and humans7,8, these findings indicate that α-GalCer might be useful for therapeutic intervention in human diseases characterized by Th1-mediated pathology such as Type 1 diabetes.
Cite this article
Hong, S., Wilson, M., Serizawa, I. et al. The natural killer T-cell ligand α-galactosylceramide prevents autoimmune diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice. Nat Med 7, 1052–1056 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0901-1052
