Type II Natural Killer T cells recognize sulfatide self-antigens using features of both innate-like and conventional T cells

Glycolipids presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) homolog CD1d are recognized by natural killer T (NKT) cells characterized by either a semi-invariant (type I or iNKT) or a relatively variable (type II) T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire. Here we describe the first structure of a type II NKT TCR complexed with CD1d-lysosulfatide (LSF). Both TCR α and β chains contacted the CD1d molecule with a diagonal footprint, typical of MHC-TCR interactions, while the antigen was recognized exclusively with a single TCR chain, similar to the iNKT TCR. Type II NKT cells, therefore, recognize CD1d-sulfatide complexes with a distinct recognition mechanism characterized by features of both iNKT cells as well as conventional peptide-reactive T cells.