title: Development and maturation of natural killer cells.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that are critical for host protection against pathogens and cancer due to their ability to rapidly release inflammatory cytokines and kill infected or transformed cells. In the 40 years since their initial discovery, much has been learned about how this important cellular lineage develops and functions. We now know that NK cells are the founding members of an expanded family of lymphocyte known as innate lymphoid cells (ILC). Furthermore, we have recently discovered that NK cells can possess features of adaptive immunity such as antigen specificity and long-lived memory responses. Here we will review our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving development of NK cells from the common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) to mature NK cells, and from activated effectors to long-lived memory NK cells.
authors: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, United States; Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, United States.
authors: Theresa L
authors: TL
authors: Geiger
authors: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, United States; Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, United States; Department of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, United States. Electronic address: sunj@mskcc.org.
authors: Joseph C
authors: JC
authors: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001343:Autophagy; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D054503:Lymphoid Progenitor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors