1. Deciphering Natural Killer Cell Homeostasis
- Author
-
Aline Pfefferle, Benedikt Jacobs, Alvaro Haroun-Izquierdo, Lise Kveberg, Ebba Sohlberg, and Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,lcsh:Immunologic diseases. Allergy ,Transcription, Genetic ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Cell Plasticity ,Immunology ,Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ,Review ,Biology ,Lymphocyte Activation ,Natural killer cell ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,Neoplasms ,homeostasis ,medicine ,Immunology and Allergy ,Cytotoxic T cell ,Animals ,Humans ,Receptor ,PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway ,Cell Proliferation ,Interleukin-15 ,Innate immune system ,TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ,Cell Differentiation ,Immunotherapy ,Cell biology ,Killer Cells, Natural ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,IL-15 ,Interleukin 15 ,NK cell differentiation ,mTOR ,natural killer cells (NK cells) ,lcsh:RC581-607 ,Reprogramming ,030215 immunology - Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have a central role within the innate immune system, eliminating virally infected, foreign and transformed cells through their natural cytotoxic capacity. Release of their cytotoxic granules is tightly controlled through the balance of a large repertoire of inhibitory and activating receptors, and it is the unique combination of these receptors expressed by individual cells that confers immense diversity both in phenotype and functionality. The diverse, yet unique, NK cell repertoire within an individual is surprisingly stable over time considering the constant renewal of these cells at steady state. Here we give an overview of NK cell differentiation and discuss metabolic requirements, intra-lineage plasticity and transcriptional reprogramming during IL-15-driven homeostatic proliferation. New insights into the regulation of NK cell differentiation and homeostasis could pave the way for the successful implementation of NK cell-based immunotherapy against cancer.
- Published
- 2020