1. Cellular and molecular basis of natural killer and natural killer-like activity
- Author
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Maria Cristina Mingari, Alessandro Moretta, Lorenzo Moretta, Roberto Biassoni, Daniela Pende, and Cristina Bottino
- Subjects
Lymphokine-activated killer cell ,Effector ,Immunology ,Histocompatibility Antigens Class I ,chemical and pharmacologic phenomena ,Biology ,CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Natural killer T cell ,Lymphocyte Activation ,Cell biology ,Killer Cells, Natural ,Cytolysis ,Interleukin 21 ,HLA Antigens ,T-Lymphocyte Subsets ,Interleukin 12 ,Immunology and Allergy ,Animals ,Humans ,Receptor ,Function (biology) - Abstract
The capability of killing various tumors or cells infected by certain viruses is a property shared by natural killer (NK) cells and by a subset of cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) termed NK-CTL. Recent analysis of the molecular basis in these phenomena, however, revealed rather different molecular mechanisms. Thus, while NK cell cytotoxicity is regulated by a complex balance between activating signals (delivered by non HLA-class I-specific triggering receptors) and inhibitory signals (delivered by HLA-class I-specific receptors) the effector function of NK-CTL reflects the TCR-mediated recognition of the poorly polymorphic HLA-E.
- Published
- 2003