An Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Natural Killer T Cells

Type I natural killer T lymphocytes detect glycolipid antigens provided by the MHC class I-like protein CD1d. Rapid pro-inflammatory and immune-modulating cytokine and chemokine responses result from antagonistic stimulation of NKT cells. This feature of NKT cells, combined with their interactions with antigen-presenting cells, regulates downstream innate and adaptive immune responses in malignancies, infectious illnesses, and inflammatory disorders. NKT cell traits are acquired through interactions with the host microbial consortia in the gut, the nature of which can be modified by NKT cells, and during development in the thymus. This feature, along with the importance of the host microbiota in cancer therapy, needs a shift in thinking. As a result, this review offers a starting point for understanding NKT cells from the perspective of ecological evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo).

Author(s): David Richards

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