A role of bone marrow resident-uncommitted NKT cells under the infectious immune responses

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16704
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 49070:Immunology-related
• Research Institution: Jikei University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Hayashizaki Koji 東京慈恵会医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (50779907)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: NKT細胞 / 骨髄 / 未分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

NKT cells acquire the effector function during thymic development and thus rapidly produce high amount of cytokine under activation. A previous report suggested that peripheral NKT pool contains “uncommitted NKT cells” which differentiate into functional subsets depending on the environment. However, the detail about uncommitted NKT cells still remain unknown. In this study, we have focused on bone marrow (BM)-resident NKT cells which be expected to carry the uncommitted potential, and analyzed for specific marker and function. Although our project has been difficult because BM-NKT cells more highly sensitive for the environment change, we could successfully gain several data which lead to the elucidate for physiological importance of uncommitted NKT cells.

Free Research Field

免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

NKT細胞は活性化に伴い迅速かつ多量のサイトカインを産生することで強力な免疫不活化作用をもつ。このことから、抗腫瘍免疫の分野や感染症ワクチン分野における臨床応用に注目が集まっている。本研究で詳細に解析を進めた骨髄NKT細胞の未分化能についての解析結果は、未分化な状態での末梢NKT細胞の維持や増殖手法の手がかりになることが期待され、治験やトランスレーショナル研究として推進されているNKT細胞研究を強くサポートする。よって当研究は学術的にも社会的にも有意義な成果を残すことができたといえる。