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Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
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[Homeostasis of natural killer cells]
Paul Rouzaire1, Katia Mayol, Sébastien Viel
1Université de Lyon, France.
Abstract:
Natural killer (NK) cells are important players of innate immunity, dedicated to the host defense against viruses and also involved in the immune surveillance of tumors. NK cells are widely distributed in the body and their number may increase locally during infection. They develop mainly in the bone marrow and perhaps in other lymphoid organs. They are constantly renewed, with a half-life of about 17 days at the periphery. In this article, we review the factors that regulate the homeostasis of NK cells including their development, differentiation, export to the periphery, their turnover, their homeostatic or antigen-induced proliferation and their survival before or after activation. In addition, we discuss the homeostasis of recently described so-called "memory" NK cells.
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