title: Natural killer cell regulation by microRNAs in health and disease.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune lymphocytes that are critical for normal host defense against infections and mediate antitumor immune responses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small, noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate the majority of cellular processes and pathways. Our understanding of how miRNAs regulate NK cells biology is limited, but recent studies have provided novel insight into their expression by NK cells, and how they contribute to the regulation of NK cell development, maturation, survival, and effector function. Here, we review the expression of miRNAs by NK cells, their contribution to cell intrinsic and extrinsic control of NK cell development and effector response, and their dysregulation in NK cell malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Todd A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Fehniger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs