Elucidation of the novel developmental pathway of NKT cells from thymic CD4, CD8-double-negative precursors

目前认为，被称为“主流发育模式”的观点认为，NKT细胞是在CD 4、CD 8双阳性（DP）胸腺细胞之后发育的。然而，我们以前曾报道过在发育的双阴性4（DN 4）阶段，即DP阶段之前，NKT细胞前体的鉴定，表明NKT细胞起源于早期阶段。在此，我们通过单细胞分选和qRT-PCR分析来表征DN 4期的NKT前体细胞，并且通过使用具有CD 1d缺陷背景的NKT克隆小鼠来表征CD 1d在NKT细胞发育中的作用。更好地了解NKT细胞谱系的发育方面将有望导致更有效的临床干预方法的发展，以对抗各种免疫受损疾病。

The presently held opinion, called "mainstream model of development", proposes that the NKT cells are developed after CD4, CD8-double-positive(DP) thymocytes. However, we have reported previously about identification of NKT cell precursors in the double-negative 4(DN4) stage of development that is before reaching DP stage, indicating NKT cells arise from earlier stage. Here, we characterized NKT precursor cells in DN4 stage by single cell sorting and qRT-PCR analysis, and also role of CD1d in the development of NKT cells by using NKT-cloned mice with CD1d-deficient background. Better understanding of developmental aspects of NKT cell lineage will hopefully lead to the development of more efficient clinical intervention methods to fight various immune-compromised diseases.