Generating a mature NKT cell from a reprogrammed somatic cell with a T-cell antigen receptor α-chain region rearranged to uniform Va-Ja in a NKT-cell specific way

A method of generating a mature NKT cell, comprising

• (a) providing a CD4/CD8-double positive NKT cell, wherein the CD4/CD8-double positive NKT cell was obtained by co-culturing a cloned cell with a stromal cell that expresses a Notch ligand as a feeder cell in the presence of interleukin-7 and Flt3 ligand, and wherein the cloned cell has been obtained by
• (i) transducing a somatic cell having the α-chain region of the T cell antigen receptor gene rearranged to uniform Vα-Jα in an NKT cell receptor-specific way with retroviral vectors comprising nucleic acid sequences encoding nuclear reprogramming factors, wherein the nuclear reprogramming factors comprise Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and one or more of c-Myc, Nanog, and Lin28, wherein Sox2 is replaceable with Sox1, Sox3, Sox15, Sox17, or Sox18, Klf4 is replaceable with Klf1, Klf2, or Klf5, and c-Myc is replaceable with T58A (active mutant), N-Myc, or L-Myc, and
• (ii) culturing the somatic cell obtained in step (i) under conditions suitable for the cultivation of embryonic stem (ES) cells while maintaining the pluripotency of the ES cells, to produce a cloned cell, wherein the cloned cell has (A) the α-chain region of the T cell antigen receptor gene rearranged to uniform Vα-Jα in an NKT cell receptor-specific way, and (B) pluripotency and replication competence, and
• (b) co-culturing the CD4/CD8-double positive NKT cell of step (a) with a stromal cell that does not express a Notch ligand as a feeder cell in the presence of three or more cytokines selected from the group consisting of interleukin-2, interleukin-7, interleukin-15 and Flt3 ligand to produce a mature NKT cell.