| First Author | Shin J | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 111 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | E776-83 |
| PubMed ID | 24516149 | Mgi Jnum | J:206820 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5553012 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1315435111 |
| Citation | Shin J, et al. (2014) Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 is critical for invariant natural killer T-cell development and effector function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111(8):E776-83 |
| abstractText | The mechanisms that control invariant natural killer T (iNKT)-cell development and function are still poorly understood. The mechanistic or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) integrates various environmental signals/cues to regulate cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. We report here that ablation of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling by conditionally deleting Raptor causes severe defects in iNKT-cell development at early stages, leading to drastic reductions in iNKT-cell numbers in the thymus and periphery. In addition, loss of Raptor impairs iNKT-cell proliferation and production of cytokines upon alpha-galactosylceramide stimulation in vitro and in vivo, and inhibits liver inflammation in an iNKT cell-mediated hepatitis model. Furthermore, Raptor deficiency and rapamycin treatment lead to aberrant intracellular localization and functional impairment of promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger, a transcription factor critical for iNKT-cell development and effector programs. Our findings define an essential role of mTORC1 to direct iNKT-cell lineage development and effector function. |