IMR Press / FBL / Volume 13 / Issue 17 / DOI: 10.2741/3165

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
NK cells interactions with dendritic cells shape innate and adaptive immunity
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1 Laboratory of Viral Immunobiology and Christopher H. Browne Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

 

Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2008, 13(17), 6443–6454; https://doi.org/10.2741/3165
Published: 1 May 2008
Abstract

While natural killer (NK) cells received their name from their ability to mediate spontaneous cytotoxicity, it has recently become clear that they require activation to target most transformed and infected cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) have been shown to mediate NK cell activation during innate immune responses. Surprisingly, this interaction was recently reported to be required to restrict infections by NK cells, and to take place in secondary lymphoid organs. Here we review these recent studies on NK cell interactions with DCs, discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between these two innate lymphocyte populations, and out-line how DCs and NK cells synergize to enhance innate immunity against microbes and tumors as well as shape the adaptive immune system. Based on this better understanding, we propose that NK cells should be targeted for their protective functions and as an adjuvant during immunotherapy development.

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