CD1-mediated immune responses in mucosal tissues: molecular mechanisms underlying lipid antigen presentation system

초록

The cluster of differentiation 1 (CD1) molecule differs from major histocompatibility complex class I and II because it presents glycolipid/lipid antigens. Moreover, the CD1-restricted T cells that recognize these self and foreign antigens participate in both innate and adaptive immune responses. CD1s are constitutively expressed by professional and nonprofessional antigen-presenting cells in mucosal tissues, namely, the skin, lung, and intestine. This suggests that CD1-reactive T cells are involved in the immune responses of these tissues. Indeed, evidence suggests that these cells play important roles in diverse diseases, such as inflammation, autoimmune disease, and infection. Recent studies elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which CD1 presents lipid antigens suggest that defects in these mechanisms could contribute to the activities of CD1-reactive T cells. Thus, improving our understanding of these mechanisms could lead to new and effective therapeutic approaches to CD1-associated diseases. In this review, we discuss the CD1-mediated antigen presentation system and its roles in mucosal tissue immunity. Further research is needed into how certain proteins present self and foreign lipid antigens from mucosal tissues (skin, lungs, intestines) to a specific group of T cells, triggering immune responses, and how disruption to that system triggers inflammation and disease. In a review paper, Ji Hyung Kim and colleagues at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, examined the lipid antigen presentation system mediated by CD1 glycoproteins, and highlighted how finely tuned the system is. A defect or mutation in a single factor as a result of metabolic or environmental stresses can destabilize the system, potentially driving the development of auto-immune and mucosal tissue diseases. Improved understanding of CD1-mediated immunity could provide valuable therapeutic targets for multiple health conditions. Advances in 3D cultures and organ models will boost research efforts.

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