BACH2 restricts NK cell maturation and function, limiting immunity to cancer metastasis.

ABSTRACT: Natural killer (NK) cells are critical to immune surveillance against infections and cancer. Their role in immune surveillance requires that NK cells are present within tissues in a quiescent state. Mechanisms by which NK cells remain quiescent in tissues are incompletely elucidated. The transcriptional repressor BACH2 plays a critical role within the adaptive immune system, but its function within innate lymphocytes has been unclear. Here, we show that BACH2 acts as an intrinsic negative regulator of NK cell maturation and function. BACH2 is expressed within developing and mature NK cells and promotes the maintenance of immature NK cells by restricting their maturation in the presence of weak stimulatory signals. Loss of BACH2 within NK cells results in accumulation of activated NK cells

SUBMITTER: Imianowski CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9529614 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature