Immunity
Volume 20, Issue 4, April 2004, Pages 477-494
Journal home page for Immunity

Article
T-bet Regulates the Terminal Maturation and Homeostasis of NK and Vα14i NKT Cells

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1074-7613(04)00076-7Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) and CD1d-restricted Vα14i natural killer T (NKT) cells play a critical early role in host defense. Here we show that mice with a targeted deletion of T-bet, a T-box transcription factor required for Th1 cell differentiation, have a profound, stem cell-intrinsic defect in their ability to generate mature NK and Vα14i NKT cells. Both cell types fail to complete normal terminal maturation and are present in decreased numbers in peripheral lymphoid organs of T-bet−/− mice. T-bet expression is regulated during NK cell differentiation by NK-activating receptors and cytokines known to control NK development and effector function. Our results identify T-bet as a key factor in the terminal maturation and peripheral homeostasis of NK and Vα14i NKT cells.

Cited by (0)

6

Present address: Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195.