T Cell Activation by CD1 and Lipid Antigens

There is increasing evidence that the CD1 system has been conserved throughout mammalian evolution and is capable of presenting structurally diverse diacyglycerol, sphingolipid, polyisoprenol and lipopeptide antigens. This volume provides a comprehensive discussion of these basic aspects of CD1 biology and summarizes the most recent research into the role of CD1 in infectious, autoimmune, allergic and neoplastic disease.

Molecular Biology.- Evolutionary Biology of CD1.- Architecture of CD1 Proteins.- Structure and Biology of Self Lipid Antigens.- Structures and Functions of Microbial Lipid Antigens Presented by CD1.- Cellular Biology.- CD1 Expression on Antigen-Presenting Cells.- Pathways of CD1 and Lipid Antigen Delivery, Trafficking, Processing, Loading, and Presentation.- TCR-Mediated Recognition of Glycolipid CD1 Complexes.- Development and Selection of V?14i NKT Cells.- Disease.- CD1-Restricted T Cells in Host Defense to Infectious Diseases.- NKT Cells and Autoimmune Diseases: Unraveling the Complexity.- iNKT Cells in Allergic Disease.- CD1-Restricted T Cells and Tumor Immunity.- Harnessing NKT Cells for Therapeutic Applications.