Following the identification of possible individual genetic determinants of SSc susceptibility, it is necessary to increase the understanding of how these genetic polymorphisms relate to the development of SSc. Biological Selleckchem Dasatinib confirmation of these genetic alterations into functional studies is essential to determine whether these associations are, in fact, causal. Functional studies on the activation of NK cells support the notion of a predominance of inhibitory effects during simultaneous ligation of activating receptors and inhibitory receptors with target cell ligands,

resulting usually in down-regulation of the signals that trigger the activating pathways [29]. These observations support further the notion of a possible dominant protective role of some inhibitory KIR genes, as we have observed in this study. In conclusion, our data, combined with previous evidences, point to a significant role of the KIR gene system in susceptibility for SSc. Functional 3-deazaneplanocin A concentration studies attempting to dissect the mechanisms involved in the interaction of activating and inhibitory KIR molecules during activation of T and NK cells may yield important insights into the pathogenesis of SSc and other autoimmune diseases. The authors have no financial or proprietary interest in any product mentioned

in this report. This study was supported by grants from FIPE-HCPA, CAPES and CNPq. “
“Our understanding of human type 1 natural killer T (NKT) cells has been heavily dependent

on studies of cells Pyruvate dehydrogenase from peripheral blood. These have identified two functionally distinct subsets defined by expression of CD4, although it is widely believed that this underestimates the true number of subsets. Two recent studies supporting this view have provided more detail about diversity of the human NKT cells, but relied on analysis of NKT cells from human blood that had been expanded in vitro prior to analysis. In this study we extend those findings by assessing the heterogeneity of CD4+ and CD4− human NKT cell subsets from peripheral blood, cord blood, thymus and spleen without prior expansion ex vivo, and identifying for the first time cytokines expressed by human NKT cells from spleen and thymus. Our comparative analysis reveals highly heterogeneous expression of surface antigens by CD4+ and CD4− NKT cell subsets and identifies several antigens whose differential expression correlates with the cytokine response. Collectively, our findings reveal that the common classification of NKT cells into CD4+ and CD4− subsets fails to reflect the diversity of this lineage, and that more studies are needed to establish the functional significance of the antigen expression patterns and tissue residency of human NKT cells.