Type II natural killer T cells foster the antitumor activity of CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides

Type II natural killer T (NKT) cells in cancer immunity are typically associated with suppression of tumor immunosurveillance through secretion of IL-13. We previously demonstrated that CpG oligonucleotide therapy activated Type II NKT cells to produce T helper type 1 (Th1) rather than T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines. This cytokine skewing may manifest in Type II NKT cell antitumor properties in an immunotherapeutic setting.