title: Natural killer cells and malaria.
abstract: Malaria, caused by the infection with parasites of the germs Plasmodium, is one of the three most important infectious diseases worldwide, along with tuberculosis and infection with human immunodeficiency virus. Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes classically involved in the early defense against viral infections and intracytoplasmic bacterial infections and are also implicated during the course of tumor development and allogeneic transplantation. These cells display important cytotoxic activity and produce high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In both mouse and human models of malaria, NK cells appear to be a major source of interferon-gamma during the early phase of infection. In humans, indirect signaling through monocytes/macrophages required to optimally stimulate NK cell activity. However, the in vivo functions of NK cells during malaria are still enigmatic, and many issues remain to be dissected, such as the molecular basis of the direct recognition of iRBCs by NK cells.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roetynck
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baratin
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lemmers
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vivier
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ugolini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology*; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000276:immunology