CD69 prevents PLZFhi innate precursors from prematurely exiting the thymus and aborting NKT2 cell differentiation

Abstract

CD69 competes with S1P1, a chemokine receptor mediating thymocyte egress, for surface expression on thymocytes, but whether CD69 is required for normal thymic development is unclear. Here the authors show that CD69 and S1P1 synergize to control type 2 natural killer (NKT2) cells differentiation by modulating the thymic egress of NKT2 precursor.