N Jin, N Miyahara, CL Roark, JD French, MK Aydintug, JL Matsuda, L Gapin, RL O'Brien, EW Gelfand, WK Born. (2007). " Airway hyperresponsiveness through synergy of gammadelta} T cells and NKT cells. " J Immunol. 179, 2961-8. PMID: 17709511
Mice sensitized and challenged with OVA were used to investigate the role of innate T cells in the development of allergic airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). AHR, but not eosinophilic airway inflammation, was induced in T cell-deficient mice by small numbers of cotransferred gammadelta T cells and invariant NKT cells, whereas either cell type alone was not effective. Only Vgamma1+Vdelta5+ gammadelta T cells enhanced AHR. Surprisingly, OVA-specific alphabeta T cells were not required, revealing a pathway of AHR development mediated entirely by innate T cells. The data suggest that lymphocytic synergism, which is key to the Ag-specific adaptive immune response, is also intrinsic to T cell-dependent innate responses.