Abstract : The role of sphingolipids (SLs) in the immune system has come under increasing scrutiny recently due to the emerging contributions that these important membrane components play in regulating a variety of immunological processes. The acyl chain length of SLs appears particularly critical in determining SL function. Here, we show a role for very-long acyl chain SLs (VLC-SLs) in invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell maturation in the thymus and homeostasis in the liver. Ceramide synthase 2-null mice, which lack VLC-SLs, were susceptible to a hepatotropic strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, which is due to a reduction in the number of iNKT cells. Bone marrow chimera experiments indicated that hematopoietic-derived VLC-SLs are essential for maturation of iNKT cells in the thymus, whereas parenchymal-derived VLC-SLs are crucial for iNKT cell survival and maintenance in the liver. Our findings suggest a critical role for VLC-SL in iNKT cell physiology.
https://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-02436037
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Submitted on : Sunday, January 12, 2020 - 11:35:37 AM Last modification on : Monday, December 14, 2020 - 11:06:06 AM
Ashish Saroha, Yael Pewzner-Jung, Natalia Ferreira, Piyush Sharma, Youenn Jouan, et al.. Critical Role for Very-Long Chain Sphingolipids in Invariant Natural Killer T Cell Development and Homeostasis. Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers, 2017, 8, pp.1386. ⟨10.3389/fimmu.2017.01386⟩. ⟨inserm-02436037⟩