biostudies-literatureBezman NANIAID NIH HHSCIHR1000-9https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC3572860biostudies-literatureUnknown13(10)Using whole-genome microarray data sets of the Immunological Genome Project, we demonstrate a closer transcriptional relationship between NK cells and T cells than between any other leukocytes, distinguished by their shared expression of genes encoding molecules with similar signaling functions. Whereas resting NK cells are known to share expression of a few genes with cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, our transcriptome-wide analysis demonstrates that the commonalities extend to hundreds of genes, many encoding molecules with unknown functions. Resting NK cells demonstrate a 'preprimed' state compared with naive T cells, which allows NK cells to respond more rapidly to viral infection. Collectively, our data provide a global context for known and previously unknown molecular aspects of NK cell ideNature immunologyMolecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells.PMC3572860R24 AI072073T32 AI060536R01 AI067545R01 AI100874T32AI060536R00 AI085035AI072117T32AI060537T32 AI060537R01 AI068129Narayan KHardy RRRandolph GJMonach PLaidlaw DKim CCKamimura YKnell JJojic VDavis SBrown BGazit RBenoist CKang JSylvia KMin-Oo GWagers ABrennan PMathis DMalhotra DGoldrath AWRossi DJKoller DKreslavsky TPainter MShinton SAImmunological Genome Project ConsortiumBrenner MFletcher AJakubzick CLanier LLMiller JMerad MTurley SKim FGoldrath ACollins JJBezman NAGautier EmHeng TJianu RHendricks DWCohen NSun JCShay TElpek KEricson JBest JARao TNRegev ABellemare-Pelletier ABest AJfalseMolecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells.Using whole-genome microarray data sets of the Immunological Genome Project, we demonstrate a closer transcriptional relationship between NK cells and T cells than between any other leukocytes, distinguished by their shared expression of genes encoding molecules with similar signaling functions. Whereas resting NK cells are known to share expression of a few genes with cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, our transcriptome-wide analysis demonstrates that the commonalities extend to hundreds of genes, many encoding molecules with unknown functions. Resting NK cells demonstrate a 'preprimed' state compared with naive T cells, which allows NK cells to respond more rapidly to viral infection. Collectively, our data provide a global context for known and previously unknown molecular aspects of NK cell ide2012-01-01T00:00:00Z2012 Oct2025-04-19T17:19:57.597Z2019-03-27T01:04:51ZS-EPMC35728602290283010.1038/ni.2395