a member of the CD1 family of antigen-presenting molecules, rather than peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs). As such, NKT cells are important in recognizing glycolipids from organisms such as Mycobacterium, which causes tuberculosis.

NKT cells include both NK1.1⁺ and NK1.1^-, as well as CD4⁺, CD4^-,