Discovering α-GalCer: A Hidden Mammalian Antigen
Invariant natural killer T cells, or iNKT cells, are special T cells that recognize lipid antigens with the help of a protein called CD1d. One of the most powerful lipid antigens for these cells is α-galactosylceramide, or α-GalCer, which was first found in marine sponges. Surprisingly, until now, s