Progresses in development and function of NKT cells / 中国免疫学杂志

Natural killer T (NKT) cells,a subset of lymphocytes that bridge innate and adaptive immune systems,involve in processes of infection immunity,tumor immunity,transplantation immunity and autoimmunity.A significant progress has been made in the mechanisms of origin,selection,differentiation and maturation of NKT cells.However,some viewpoints are still controversial,and need to be further intensively investigated.The potential therapeutic applications of functional NKT cells have been suggested in the prevention and the treatment of various diseases.