title: [Human nonspecific killer cells].
abstract: The NK and K-cell activity of human leukocytes was investigated as compared with those cells of the K 562 cell line and murine cells covered by xenoantibodies in Graffi erythroblast leukaemia by means of the 51Cr release test. NK and K-cells could be identified in the blood and bone-marrow. However, they could not be identified in the thymus, lymph-nodes, and tonsils. Attempts of cell fraction with the blood of healthy donors revealed that the K-cells must be attributed to non-T-lymphocytes. NK-cells may be found in the fraction of non-T-lymphocytes as well as in that of T-lymphocytes. Killer cell activity tests in children with acute leukaemia resulted in leukaemia cells having NK and K-cell activity only in very rare cases. ALL patients in remission had strongly lowered NK-cell values under chemotherapy. In comparison to that, chemotherapy had no influence on K-cell activity. On the one hand, NK-cell activities were induced in mixed cultures of allogenous lymphocytes of the blood and, on the other hand, in cells of lymph-nodes. Attempts of fractionation, investigations for determining the influence of chemotherapy and attempts of inducing killer cell activity in vitro lead to the conclusion that NK and K-cells may be regarded as similar cell populations, being, however, not identical.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice
vernacular_title: Unspezifische Killerzellen des Menschen.