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Related Concept Videos

Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes01:25

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens01:29

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Expansion, Purification, and Functional Assessment of Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells
10:44

Expansion, Purification, and Functional Assessment of Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells

Published on: February 2, 2011

Re-educating natural killer cells.

Joseph C Sun1

  • 1Department of Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|September 30, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Natural killer (NK) cells are educated for self-tolerance but can be re-educated. Environmental changes influence mature NK cell responses, offering potential for immunotherapy against cancer and infection.

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Expansion, Purification, and Functional Assessment of Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells
10:44

Expansion, Purification, and Functional Assessment of Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells

Published on: February 2, 2011

Natural Killer (NK) and CAR-NK Cell Expansion Method using Membrane Bound-IL-21-Modified B Cell Line
11:02

Natural Killer (NK) and CAR-NK Cell Expansion Method using Membrane Bound-IL-21-Modified B Cell Line

Published on: February 8, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cell development and function depend on cell surface receptor signals.
  • NK cell education in the bone marrow establishes tolerance to healthy tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore self-tolerance mechanisms in NK cells.
  • To investigate the influence of the peripheral environment on mature NK cell function.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent studies on NK cell development and plasticity.
  • Analysis of how environmental perturbations affect NK cell effector responses.

Main Results:

  • NK cell developmental programming is not fixed.
  • Peripheral environment alterations (e.g., transplantation, viral infection) significantly impact mature NK cell effector capabilities.
  • Mature NK cells exhibit plasticity and can be "re-educated".

Conclusions:

  • NK cell tolerance is adaptable.
  • The plasticity of mature NK cells presents therapeutic opportunities.
  • Re-educated NK cells could enhance immunotherapies for infections and cancers.