Characterization and functional analysis of 2B4-expressing iNKT cells

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a special subset of T cells that recognize lipid antigens. They contribute to both innate and adaptive immunity in infection, chronic inflammation and cancer. It is supposed that mature iNKT cells tend to reside in non-lymphoid tissues such as lung, liver, intestines and adipose tissue. Recently, we identified novel subsets of iNKT cells with the expression of 2B4, a natural killer cell receptor. However, the functional heterogeneity of these iNKT cells in different organs remain unclear. We will characterize the iNKT cells in different organs by RNA-seq, and reveal the functional heterogeneity of iNKT cells by using mouse models. This study will contribute to iNKT cell-targeted immunotherapy for cancer, and advance the precision medicine in prevention of infectious diseases and chronic inflammations.