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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Adoptive Immunotherapy of iNKT Cells in Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase (G6PI)-Induced RA Mice
Published on: January 31, 2020
NK cells: elusive players in autoimmunity
Sofia Johansson1, Louise Berg, Håkan Hall
1Microbiology and Tumor Biology Center, Karolinska Institutet, Box 280, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Natural killer (NK) cells were once regarded as relatively simple cells of the innate immune system. However, they are now revealing themselves as multifunctional regulatory cells that are present throughout the body. The role of NK cells in autoimmunity is attracting increased attention, although the picture is clouded by a conflicting literature that presents disease-promoting as well as disease-protective roles. In this review, we discuss how NK cells might use these dual roles, and suggest that future studies should focus on the impact of the anatomical localization of NK cells as well as the cytokine environment in which NK cells act in individual autoimmune diseases.
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