Title : Crystal structure of mouse
CD1d bound to the self ligand phosphatidylcholine: a molecular basis for NKT cell activation
Abstract :
- NKT cells are immunoregulatory lymphocytes whose activation is triggered by the recognition of lipid Ags in the context of the CD1d molecules by the TCR
- In this study we present the crystal structure to 2.8 A of mouse CD1d bound to phosphatidylcholine
- The interactions between the ligand acyl chains and the CD1d molecule define the structural and chemical requirements for the binding of lipid Ags to CD1d
- The orientation of the polar headgroup toward the C terminus of the alpha1 helix provides a rationale for the structural basis for the observed Valpha chain bias in invariant NKT cells
- The contribution of the ligand to the protein surface suggests a likely mode of recognition of lipid Ags by the NKT cell TCR