title: NK cells: innate immunity against hematological malignancies?
abstract: Recent advances in the treatment of malignant haemopathies enable increased remission and cure rates, however, many patients relapse and finally die. Although specific immunity mediated by cytolytic T-lymphocytes might have an anti-cancer role, tumours escape from T-cell-based immune surveillance using various mechanisms, such as downregulation, mutation or loss of HLA class I molecules. As a consequence, these transformed cells could become targets for natural killer (NK) cells, whose cytotoxic capabilities are not blocked by HLA class I molecule engagement by specific inhibitory receptors. Novel developments in NK-cell research, particularly the identification of the role of non-HLA-restricted activating receptors (and in some cases of their ligands), have recently enabled us to reconsider NK-cell interactions with haematological malignant cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Immunologie des Tumeurs, Centre de Lutte Contre le Cancer de Marseille, 232 boulevard Sainte Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France. regis.costello@free.fr
authors.forename: Régis T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fauriat
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivori
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marcenaro
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olive
mesh_terms: D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological