Natural Killer T (NKT) Cells and Periodontitis: Potential Regulatory Role of NKT10 Cells

Figure 1

Antigenic presentation and activation of NKT cells. During antigen presentation, NKT cells recognize, via their TCR, the glycolipid antigen conjugated to the CD1d receptor expressed by antigen-presenting cells. In this context, the costimulatory ligand/receptor interactions between OX40L/OX40, CD80/CD28, and IL-12/IL-12R promote the activation of the transcription factors NF-AT, NF-κB, and T-bet. In turn, these activations lead to the production of IL-2 and survivin, which promote NKT cell proliferation and survival by activation of the PI3K-PDK1-AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, the CD40/CD40L interaction promotes the activation of NF-κB in antigen-presenting cells, which induces IL-12 and CD80 production and promotes the CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocyte activation and proliferation. AKT, protein kinase B; CD, cluster of differentiation; IL, interleukin; NF-AT; nuclear factor of activated T cells; NF-κB, nuclear factor κB; NKT, Natural Killer T cell; OX40, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 4; OX40L, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 4 ligand; PDK1, pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme 1; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase; T-bet, transcription factor T-box; TCR, T-cell receptor. (Created with http://BioRender.com).