CD1d is a member of the CD1

CD1

For the album by Throbbing Gristle, see CD1 CD1 is a family of glycoproteins expressed on the surface of various human antigen-presenting cells. They are related to the class I MHC molecules, and are involved in the presentation of lipid antigens to T cells...

 (cluster of differentiation 1) family of glycoprotein

Glycoprotein

Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to polypeptide side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycosylation. In proteins that have segments extending...

s expressed on the surface of various human antigen-presenting cell

Antigen-presenting cell

An antigen-presenting cell or accessory cell is a cell that displays foreign antigen complexes with major histocompatibility complex on their surfaces. T-cells may recognize these complexes using their T-cell receptors...

s. They are related to the class I MHC molecules, and are involved in the presentation of lipid antigens to T cells. It is the only member of the group 2 CD1 molecules.

CD1d presented lipid antigens activate a special class of T cells, known as Natural Killer T (NKT) cells

Natural Killer T cell

Natural killer T cells are a heterogeneous group of T cells that share properties of both T cells and natural killer cells. Many of these cells recognize the non-polymorphic CD1d molecule, an antigen-presenting molecule that binds self- and foreign lipids and glycolipids...

. When activated, NKT cells rapidly produce Th1 and Th2 cytokine

Cytokine

Cytokines are small cell-signaling protein molecules that are secreted by the glial cells of the nervous system and by numerous cells of the immune system and are a category of signaling molecules used extensively in intercellular communication...

s, typically represented by interferon-gamma

Interferon-gamma

Interferon-gamma is a dimerized soluble cytokine that is the only member of the type II class of interferons. This interferon was originally called macrophage-activating factor, a term now used to describe a larger family of proteins to which IFN-γ belongs...

 and IL-4 production.

Further reading