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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 May 8.
Published in final edited form as: Crit Rev Immunol. 2021;41(4):55–88. doi: 10.1615/CritRevImmunol.2021040076

TABLE 1:

Synthetic, microbial, and self NKT cell agonists—structures and properties (adapted from refs 10,294)

Lipid (class1) biologic vs. synthetic Chain length2 Structure Response3 Refs.
αGalCer
(GSL)
self		 C18
C24:l		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0008.jpg IFN-γ, IL-4 56
Agel 9b
(GSL)
Agelas mauritianus 		C17 (C16-Me) phyto
C24		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0009.jpg Anti-tumor; Agelas mauritianus 286,287
KRN7000
αGalCer
(GSL)
synthetic		 C18-phyto
C26		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0010.jpg IFN-γ IL-4 and other cytokines 236
αCGal-Cer
(GSL)
synthetic		 C18-phyto
C26		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0011.jpg Weak (mo4)-to-none (hu); IFN-γ 288
OCH
(GSL)
synthetic		 C9-phyto
C24		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0012.jpg Weak (mo)-to-none (hu); IL-4 (low-to-no IFN-γ) 115
C20-diene
(GSL)
synthetic		 C18-phyto
C20:2		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0013.jpg IL-4 (low-to-no IFN-γ) 114
αGalCer
(GSL)
Bacteroides fragilis 		CI7-C3OH
C17		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0014.jpg Stimulatory and inhibitory based on sphanganine branching 27,33,289
αGalU Cer (GSL)
Sphingomonas spp.		 C18-phyto
C14		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0015.jpg Weak IFN-γ 30–32
Asp B (GSL)
Aspergillus fumigatus 		C20:2-C9 Me
C16-C2 OH		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0016.jpg Weak agonist 26
αGlc-6-acyl-Chol
Helicobacter pylori 		C14 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0017.jpg Activates a small NKT cell subset (mo) 34
βGalCer
(GSL)
self		 C18
C24:l		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0018.jpg Weak agonist 290,291
iGb3
(GSL)
self		 C18-C24 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0019.jpg Weak (mo)-to-no (hu) response 255
αGal-DAG
(GGL)
Borrelia burgdorferi 		sn1-ClZA
sn2-C16		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0020.jpg Weak agonist (mo) 29
αGlc-DAG
(GGL)
Streptococcus pneumoniae 		sn1-C18:1
sn2-C16		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0021.jpg Weak agonist 28
PtdIno
(GPL)
self		 sn1-C18:1
sn2-C18:1		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0022.jpg Week agonist (mo) 59,292
Plasma-logen
(GPL)
self		 sn1-C16 vinyl-ether
sn2-lyso		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0023.jpg Agonist for positive selection (mo) 293
Lyso-PtdCho
(GPL)
self		 sn1-C16
sn2-lyso		 graphic file with name nihms-1982864-t0024.jpg Weak (hu)-to-no (mo) GM-CSF (no IL-4, IFN-γ) response 58
1

Agel, agelasphin; Asp B, asparamide B; Chol, cholesterol; DAG, diacylglycérol; GalCer, galactosylceramide; GalUCer, galacturonosylceramide; GlcCer, glucosylceramide; PtdCho, phosphatidylcholine; PtdIno, phosphatidylinositol; sn, stereo nomenclature for glycerolipids GGL, glycoglycerolipid; GPL, glycerophospholipid; GSL, glycosphingolipid

2

Sphingosine/phytosphingosine chain length indicated first and N-acyl chain length second

3

Agonist strength based on ref295

4

mo, mouse; hu, human