October 9 - 12, 2012
Building 10 & Natcher Conference Center
- General Schedule of Events
- Opening Plenary Session
- Concurrent Symposia Sessions
- Poster Sessions
- National Graduate Student Research Conference
- FARE Award Ceremony
- Special Exhibits on Resources for Intramural Research
- TSA Research Festival Exhibit Show
- Clinical Center Tours
- Research Festival Committees
- Past Research Festivals
A dual requirement for IL-7 and IL-15 in iNKT cell development and survival
| Friday, November 08, 2013 — Poster Session IV | |||
|---|---|---|---|
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
FAES Academic Center (Upper-Level Terrace) |
NCI |
IMMUNO-23 |
* FARE Award Winner
Authors
- J.Y. Park
- H.R. Keller
- J.H. Park
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are thymus-generated T lineage cells with shared phenotypic and functional characteristics of innate NK cells. All T lineage cells require cytokine signaling for their development and differentiation, and iNKT cells were proposed to be dependent on IL-15. In contrast to this prevailing view, we found that iNKT cells were dependent on IL-7 and not on IL-15. Specifically, IL-7 was critical for both the development and survival of iNKT cells as IL-7-deficient mice showed dramatically reduced iNKT cell numbers both in the thymus and spleen. Moreover, using a new in vivo model of peripheral IL-7 deficiency (K7 mice), we further confirmed that IL-7 is a survival factor for iNKT cells. Notably, IL-7 was also important for iNKT cell function, as in vivo iNKT activation by aGalCer injection into K7 mice resulted in blunted IL-4/IFNg production compared to WT mice. Mechanistically, we identified STAT5 as the transcriptional effector molecule downstream of IL-7 signaling that drives iNKT cell development. Collectively, these data provide an entirely new perspective on cytokine requirements for iNKT cell survival and function, and proposes a new role for IL-7 in iNKT cell biology.
