Frontiers in Immunology (Jan 2023)
CD8+ T-cell immunity orchestrated by iNKT cells
Abstract
CD8+ T cells belonging to the adaptive immune system play key roles in defending against viral infections and cancers. The current CD8+ T cell-based immunotherapy has emerged as a superior therapeutic avenue for the eradication of tumor cells and long-term prevention of their recurrence in hematologic malignancies. It is believed that an effective adaptive immune response critically relies on the help of the innate compartment. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are innate-like T lymphocytes that have been considered some of the first cells to respond to infections and can secrete a large amount of diverse cytokines and chemokines to widely modulate the innate and adaptive immune responders. Like CD8+ T cells, iNKT cells also play an important role in defense against intracellular pathogenic infections and cancers. In this review, we will discuss the CD8+ T-cell immunity contributed by iNKT cells, including iNKT cell-mediated cross-priming and memory formation, and discuss recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation, as well as aging-induced impairment of T-cell immunity.
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