AI Article Synopsis

  • Sphingolipids (SLs) play a key role in various immune processes, with their acyl chain length influencing their function.
  • The study highlights that very-long acyl chain sphingolipids (VLC-SLs) are important for the maturation of invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells in the thymus and their maintenance in the liver.
  • Mice missing VLC-SLs were found to be more susceptible to a virus due to a decrease in NKT cells, indicating the essential role of VLC-SLs in NKT cell health.

Article 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 (NKT) 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 NKT cells. Bone marrow chimera experiments indicated that hematopoietic-derived VLC-SLs are essential for maturation of NKT cells in the thymus, whereas parenchymal-derived VLC-SLs are crucial for NKT cell survival and maintenance in the liver. Our findings suggest a critical role for VLC-SL in NKT cell physiology.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5672022PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01386DOI Listing

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