Two HIFs, two fates: VHL-HIF signaling controls iNKT cell identity.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells acquire effector identity during thymic development, yet how metabolic and signaling programs regulate iNKT cell fate remains unclear. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Li et al.1 elucidate that the VHL-HIF axis with HIF1α and HIF2α modulates survival and differentiation of iNKT cells.