Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
06:55

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells

Published on: February 22, 2020

Regulation of self-ligands for activating natural killer cell receptors

Runyi A Lam1, Jyh Y Chwee, Nina Le Bert

  • 1Immunology Programme, Centre for Life Sciences, Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore 117456, Singapore.

Annals of Medicine
|May 25, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Natural killer (NK) cells target infected and tumor cells using activating receptors. Understanding how these cells recognize diseased cells offers new therapeutic strategies for cancer and infections.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for innate immunity, identifying and eliminating stressed, infected, or malignant cells.
  • NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity relies on a delicate balance between activating and inhibitory receptors on the NK cell surface.
  • Dysregulation of NK cell activity is implicated in various diseases, including cancer and chronic infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the regulatory pathways controlling self-ligand expression for key NK cell activating receptors.
  • To highlight the importance of understanding these pathways for developing novel immunotherapies.
  • To provide a comprehensive overview of receptors involved in NK cell recognition of diseased cells.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of peer-reviewed scientific articles.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms regulating ligand expression.
  • Synthesis of current knowledge on NK cell receptor-ligand interactions.

Main Results:

  • Identified numerous activating receptors on NK cells and some T cells, including NKG2D, DNAM-1, LFA-1, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, NKp65, and NKp80.
  • Detailed various pathways involved in the regulation of self-ligands for these activating receptors.
  • Emphasized the role of ligand expression in NK cell recognition of target cells.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the regulation of self-encoded ligand expression is critical for advancing NK cell-based therapies.
  • Novel therapeutic strategies targeting these regulatory pathways could be developed for infections and cancer.
  • Further research into NK cell recognition mechanisms holds significant promise for clinical applications.

More Related Videos

Two Flow Cytometric Approaches of NKG2D Ligand Surface Detection to Distinguish Stem Cells from Bulk Subpopulations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia05:24

Two Flow Cytometric Approaches of NKG2D Ligand Surface Detection to Distinguish Stem Cells from Bulk Subpopulations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Published on: February 21, 2021

Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
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...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...