Molecular checkpoints controlling natural killer cell activation and their modulation for cancer immunotherapy.

ABSTRACT: Natural killer (NK) cells have gained considerable attention as promising therapeutic tools for cancer therapy due to their innate selectivity against cancer cells over normal healthy cells. With an array of receptors evolved to sense cellular alterations, NK cells provide early protection against cancer cells by producing cytokines and chemokines and exerting direct cytolytic activity. These effector functions are governed by signals transmitted through multiple receptor-ligand interactions but are not achieved by engaging a single activating receptor on resting NK cells. Rather, they require the co-engagement of different activating receptors that use distinct signaling modules, due to a cell-intrinsic inhibition mechanism. The redundancy of synergizing receptors and the inhibition of NK

SUBMITTER: Kwon HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5382566 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature