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Assessing Canonical and Adaptive Natural Killer Cell Function in Suppression Assays In Vitro

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Immune Checkpoint Blockade

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1913))

Abstract

The in vitro culture system outlined in this chapter allows for standardized protocols to examine canonical and adaptive natural killer (NK) cell responses while interacting with immune suppressor cells such as regulatory T cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). These interactions pathologically occur during tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Strategies to study the effects of ex vivo purified immune suppressor cells from cancer patients on the function of NK cell antitumor activity will help to understand suppressive mechanisms to improve immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have recently demonstrated tremendous clinical responses in patients with diverse types of cancers. However, their effect on NK cell function is not very well studied. Here, we have adapted a coculture system that previously has been utilized to study regulatory T cells. This approach can further be utilized to study the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors in vitro and ex vivo. We focus on the differences between canonical NK cells and the newly identified subset of NK cells termed “adaptive NK cells.” These cells are induced by cytomegalovirus (CMV) in CMV-seropositive individuals.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, CA111412, and CA65493.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Dhifaf Sarhan

  2. Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Jeffrey S. Miller

Authors
  1. Dhifaf Sarhan
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  2. Jeffrey S. Miller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dhifaf Sarhan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Yago Pico de Coaña

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Sarhan, D., Miller, J.S. (2019). Assessing Canonical and Adaptive Natural Killer Cell Function in Suppression Assays In Vitro. In: Pico de Coaña, Y. (eds) Immune Checkpoint Blockade. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1913. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8979-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8979-9_11

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8978-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8979-9

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