Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

On guard--activating NK cell receptors.

L L Lanier1

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Cancer Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, CA 94143-0414, USA. lanier@itsa.ucsf.edu

Nature Immunology
|March 29, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Natural killer (NK) cells target cells lacking specific antigens. Research suggests NK cell activation involves multiple membrane receptors and signaling pathways, like those with immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAM) and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) binding motifs.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evidence for three types of human cytotoxic lymphocyte.

Immunology today·2014
Same author

Lymphokine-activated killer cell activity Characteristics of effector cells and their progenitors in blood and spleen.

Immunology today·2014
Same author

The T-cell antigen receptor gamma gene: rearrangement and cell lineages.

Immunology today·2014
Same author

NK cell recognition of mouse cytomegalovirus-infected cells.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2005
Same author

NKG2D.

Journal of biological regulators and homeostatic agents·2004
Same author

Retraction.

The Journal of experimental medicine·2003

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Signaling

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for innate immunity.
  • NK cells preferentially eliminate target cells deficient in major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) antigens.
  • The precise signaling mechanisms initiating NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the signaling pathways and membrane receptors involved in NK cell target recognition and attack.
  • To investigate the role of immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAM) and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) binding motifs in NK cell activation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of membrane receptor involvement in NK cell cytotoxicity.
  • Investigation of signaling pathways associated with ITAM-containing receptors.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Exploration of PI3K-binding motifs in NK cell activation.

    • Main Results:

    • Several membrane receptors are implicated in NK cell-mediated killing of MHC-I deficient cells.
    • Receptors containing ITAM and PI3K-binding motifs play a role in NK cell activation.
    • NK cell responses appear to be orchestrated by a combination of receptors and signaling cascades.

    Conclusions:

    • NK cell cytotoxicity against specific targets is initiated by complex signaling events.
    • A coordinated effort of multiple receptors and intracellular pathways, including ITAM and PI3K signaling, governs NK cell function.
    • Understanding these mechanisms is vital for comprehending host defense against infections and malignancies.