Natural killer cells induce distinct modes of cancer cell death: Discrimination, quantification, and modulation of apoptosis, necrosis, and mixed forms.

ABSTRACT: Immune therapy of cancer is among the most promising recent advances in medicine. Whether the immune system can keep cancer in check depends on, among other factors, the efficiency of immune cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. We describe a time-resolved single-cell assay that reports the quality, quantity, and kinetics of target cell death induced by single primary human natural killer (NK) cells. The assay reveals that single NK cells induce cancer cell death by apoptosis and necrosis but also by mixed forms. Inhibition of either one of the two major cytotoxic pathways, perforin/granzyme release or FasL/FasR interaction, unmasked the parallel activity of the other one. Ca²⁺ influx through Orai channels is important for tuning killer cell function. We found that the

SUBMITTER: Backes CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6200954 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature