The Vα14 NKT Cell TCR Exhibits High-Affinity Binding to a Glycolipid/CD1d Complex1

Most CD1d-dependent NKT cells in mice have a canonical Vα14Jα18 TCR rearrangement. However, relatively little is known concerning the molecular basis for their reactivity to glycolipid Ags presented by CD1d. Using glycolipid Ags, soluble forms of a Vα14 NKT cell-derived TCR, and mutant and wild-type CD1d molecules, we probed the TCR/CD1d interaction by surface plasmon resonance, tetramer equilibrium staining, and tetramer staining decay experiments. By these methods, several CD1d α-helical amino acids could be defined that do not greatly alter lipid binding, but that affect the interaction with the TCR. Binding of the Vα14+ TCR to CD1d requires the agonist α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), as opposed to the nonantigenic β-galactosylceramide, although both Ags bind to CD1d, indicating that the carbohydrate moiety of the CD1d-bound Ag plays a major role in the TCR interaction. The TCR has a relatively high-affinity binding to the α-GalCer/CD1d complex, with a particularly slow off rate. These unique properties are consistent with the coreceptor-independent action of the Vα14 TCR and may be related to the intense response to α-GalCer by NKT cells in vivo.