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. 2008 Feb;29(2):269-77.
doi: 10.1097/shk.0b013e31811ff60c.

Prevention of injury-induced suppression of T-cell immunity by the CD1d/NKT cell-specific ligand alpha-galactosylceramide

Julia M Tulley  1 , Jessica L Palmer, Richard L Gamelli, Douglas E Faunce
Affiliations

Prevention of injury-induced suppression of T-cell immunity by the CD1d/NKT cell-specific ligand alpha-galactosylceramide

Julia M Tulley et al. Shock. 2008 Feb.

Abstract

Infection, sepsis, and multiple organ failure continue to be significant factors leading to morbidity and mortality after severe injury. Studies by our laboratory and others have identified injury-induced defects in both innate and adaptive components of host defense. We previously reported that CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells actively suppress effector T-cell immunity after burn injury via production of excess IL-4 and failure to produce IFN-gamma. alpha-Galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) is a synthetic NKT cell-specific ligand presented exclusively to invariant NKT cells and is known to improve immunity against tumors and infection by promoting IFN-gamma production. Here, we confirmed the role of Valpha14-Jalpha281 invariant NKT cells in mouse model of burn injury-induced suppression of T-cell immunity and further asked whether alpha-GalCer can improve immunity after injury via similar mechanisms. We observed that systemic treatment with alpha-GalCer prevented the injury-induced suppression of Ag-specific T-cell responsiveness both in vitro and in vivo and restored the ability of splenic lymphocytes to produce both IL-2 and IFN-gamma. Moreover, burn injury was associated with diminished expression of major histocompatibility complex II and CD40 on antigen presenting cells that were both restored by alpha-GalCer treatment to levels seen in sham-treated mice. Collectively, these data suggest that, via manipulation of the NKT cell population, we may be able to maintain T-cell function and improve host defense after burn injury.

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