Natural killer cells in immune regulation

Abstract

NK cells can influence the immune response through cytokine production and cytolysis of specific target cells. The identification of MHC-Class I specific-receptors on NK cells and their inhibitory effect on signal transduction has greatly enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of action of NK cells. NK cell function is dependent on the balance of inhibitory and activating signals received by the cell, from both direct interaction with target cells and from local immunoregulatory cytokines. The recent progress in understanding the molecular basis of NK cell function has renewed considerable interest in the exact biological role of these cells. The role NK cells play in cancer, infectious disease, bone marrow transplantation, pregnancy and autoimmunity are currently active areas of research as well as further studies to define the molecular basis for NK activation and specificity.