There is increasing evidence that the CD1 system has been conserved throughout mammalian evolution and is capable of presenting structurally diverse diacyglycerol, sphingolipid, polyisoprenol and lipopeptide antigens. This volume provides a comprehensive discussion of these basic aspects of CD1 biology and summarizes the most recent research into the role of CD1 in infectious, autoimmune, allergic and neoplastic disease.

Molecular Biology.- Evolutionary Biology of CD1.- Architecture of CD1 Proteins.- Structure and Biology of Self Lipid Antigens.- Structures and Functions of Microbial Lipid Antigens Presented by CD1.- Cellular Biology.- CD1 Expression on Antigen-Presenting Cells.- Pathways of CD1 and Lipid Antigen Delivery, Trafficking, Processing, Loading, and Presentation.- TCR-Mediated Recognition of Glycolipid CD1 Complexes.- Development and Selection of V?14i NKT Cells.- Disease.- CD1-Restricted T Cells in Host Defense to Infectious Diseases.- NKT Cells and Autoimmune Diseases: Unraveling the Complexity.- iNKT Cells in Allergic Disease.- CD1-Restricted T Cells and Tumor Immunity.- Harnessing NKT Cells for Therapeutic Applications.