Back to Search Start Over

Natural Killer Cells: Tumor Surveillance and Signaling

Authors :
Lizeth G. Meza Guzman
Narelle Keating
Sandra E. Nicholson
Source :
Cancers, Vol 12, Iss 952, p 952 (2020), Cancers
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2020.

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in cancer immunotherapy due to their innate ability to detect and kill tumorigenic cells. The decision to kill is determined by the expression of a myriad of activating and inhibitory receptors on the NK cell surface. Cell-to-cell engagement results in either self-tolerance or a cytotoxic response, governed by a fine balance between the signaling cascades downstream of the activating and inhibitory receptors. To evade a cytotoxic immune response, tumor cells can modulate the surface expression of receptor ligands and additionally, alter the conditions in the tumor microenvironment (TME), tilting the scales toward a suppressed cytotoxic NK response. To fully harness the killing power of NK cells for clinical benefit, we need to understand what defines the threshold for activation and what is required to break tolerance. This review will focus on the intracellular signaling pathways activated or suppressed in NK cells and the roles signaling intermediates play during an NK cytotoxic response.

Details

ISSN :
20726694
Volume :
12
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Cancers
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....315a4d3b1e5266b9c9b6a2a1958e4bec
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12040952