Abstract

In several mouse models, natural killer T cells have recently been found to be required for the development of airway hyper-reactivity, a cardinal feature of asthma. Moreover, in patients with chronic asthma, natural killer T cells with a T-helper-2-like phenotype (that is, that express CD4 and produce T helper 2 cytokines) are present in the lungs in large numbers. In this Opinion article, we suggest that natural killer T cells, which express a restricted T-cell receptor and respond to glycolipids rather than protein antigens, have a previously unsuspected but crucial role, distinct from that of T helper 2 cells, in the pathogenesis of asthma.

Author affiliations

1. Dale T. Umetsu and Rosemarie H. DeKruyff are at the Division of Immunology, Children's Hospital Boston, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Correspondence to: Dale T. Umetsu¹ Email: dale.umetsu@childrens.harvard.edu

Published online 27 October 2006

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