CD1d activation and blockade: a new antitumor strategy.

CD1d is expressed on APCs and presents glycolipids to CD1d-restricted NKT cells. For the first time, we demonstrate the ability of anti-CD1d mAbs to inhibit the growth of different CD1d-negative experimental carcinomas in mice. Anti-CD1d mAbs systemically activated CD1d(+) APC, as measured by production of IFN-gamma and IL-12. Tumor growth inhibition was found to be completely dependent on IFN-gamma and IL-12 and variably dependent on CD8(+) T cells and NK cells, depending upon the tumor model examined. Anti-CD1d mAb induced greater CD8(+) T cell-dependent tumor suppression where regulatory CD1d-restricted type II NKT cells have been implicated, and were less effective in a NK cell-dependent manner against tumors where T regulatory cells were immunosuppressive. The ability of anti-CD1d mAbs to coincidently activate CD1d(+) APCs to release IL-12 and inhibit CD1d-restricted type II NKT cells makes CD1d an exciting new target for immunotherapy of cancer based on tumor immunoregulation.