Natural Killer T cell obsession with self-antigens

► NKT cells are inherently reactive to self-antigens presented by CD1d molecules. ► Self-antigens are made to mimic foreign antigens upon recognition by type-I NKT TCRs. ► There are multiple ways to trigger a type-I NKT response in vivo. ► Several different self-antigens can stimulate type-I NKT cells. ► The main mouse model for the study of type-I NKT cell autoreactivity is imperfect.