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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Artificial Antigen Presenting Cell (aAPC) Mediated Activation and Expansion of Natural Killer T Cells
Published on: December 29, 2012
Activated T cells inhibit NK cell-mediated tumour rejection
1Chongqing Key Laboratory for Disease Proteomics, Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Lab of Trauma, Burns and combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Abstract:
Previous studies have described the regulation of some T-cell subsets toward natural killer (NK) cells. Naturally occurring CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory cells can inhibit NK cell cytotoxicity, while activated interleukin-2 (IL-2) secreting T cells can stimulate NK cells. However, little is known about the impact of the integrity T-cell population on the final outcome of NK cell cytotoxicity. We thus examined the possible role of activated T cells in affecting NK cell cytotoxicity by mixed lymphocyte co-cultures in vitro and a B16 melanoma tumour model in vivo. In our study, activated T cells were found to be able to significantly inhibit NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro and blunt NK cell-mediated tumour rejection in vivo. The inhibition of NK cell function is a cell-cell contact dependent way. Results suggest that activated T cells may play an important role in limiting NK cell functions, which might be very significant for the design of biotherapy against tumour or infection in future.
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