Authors
Nitin Kamble, Faisal R Anjum, Shahriar Behboudi
Published in
European journal of immunology. Volume 56. Issue 10. Pages e70302.
Abstract
This study presents the discovery and first functional characterization of chicken lipid-reactive Natural Killer T (NKT)-like cells, resolving a long-standing knowledge gap in avian immunology. Using purified TCRVβ2+ lymphocytes, we demonstrate through rigorous experiments combining shRNA-mediated gene silencing, pharmacological pathway blockade, primary MACS-purified co-cultures, and intracellular cytokine flow cytometry that these cells are activated by CpG-ODN-stimulated antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Activation selectively depends on APC-driven glycosphingolipid (GSL) biosynthesis, with CpG-ODN significantly upregulating key biosynthetic enzymes (ST3GAL1 and ST3GAL5) in APCs. Silencing of enzymes involved in this pathway or chemical inhibition of GSL synthesis abrogated T cell activation. We identify GM3 as a potent, functional lipid ligand activating TCRVβ2+ lymphocytes. In parallel, IL-12 and IL-18 trigger IFN-γ production from TCRVβ2+ lymphocytes, crucially requiring live APC interactions. Upon activation of splenocytes with GM3, the cells expressed chIL-2, chIL-4, chIL-17, Granzyme A, and Perforin. By establishing functional, nonpeptide lipid-reactive T cells in chickens, these findings redefine the conceptual framework of avian innate-like T cell immunology. This discovery unlocks a highly translatable, universal target for lipid-adjuvanted poultry vaccines to enhance global animal health and food security.
PMID:
42875959
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Oct 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 12
- Comments 0