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Related Concept Videos

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes01:25

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

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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...
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Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

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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...
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Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome01:36

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Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
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Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

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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...
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Autophagy01:27

Autophagy

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Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
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Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

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Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 8, 2026

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

Published on: February 2, 2011

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Involvement of autophagy in NK cell development and function.

Alejandro López-Soto1,2, José Manuel Bravo-San Pedro3,4,5,6,7, Guido Kroemer3,4,5,6,7,8,9

  • 1a Departamento de Biología Funcional, Área de Inmunología , Universidad de Oviedo, IUOPA , Oviedo , Asturias , Spain.

Autophagy
|January 20, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Autophagy is crucial for natural killer (NK) cell development and function. Disrupting autophagy impairs NK cell maturation and survival, highlighting its importance in innate immunity against viruses and cancer.

Keywords:
FOXO1AAAIL-15MTORanticancer immunosurveillancemitophagyrapamycin

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Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions
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Two Flow Cytometric Approaches of NKG2D Ligand Surface Detection to Distinguish Stem Cells from Bulk Subpopulations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

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Related Experiment Videos

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

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Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions
08:17

Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions

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

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are vital innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) involved in immune responses against viral infections and cancer.
  • Autophagy, a cellular degradation process, is essential for homeostasis and adaptation but its role in ILCs, including NK cells, was unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of autophagy in the development and function of NK cells and other ILCs.
  • To determine the impact of autophagy disruption on NK cell maturation and survival.

Main Methods:

  • Ablation of Atg5 (autophagy-related 5) in NK cells and ILCs.
  • Disruption of ATG7 and FOXO1 interaction in immature NK cells.
  • Analysis of mitochondrial damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and cell death.

Main Results:

  • Ablating Atg5 led to mitochondrial damage, ROS overgeneration, and cell death, halting ILC development.
  • Disrupting ATG7-FOXO1 interaction blocked essential autophagic responses for NK cell maturation.
  • These findings indicate autophagy is critical for NK cell development and function.

Conclusions:

  • Autophagy plays a critical role in the development, maturation, and survival of NK cells and other ILCs.
  • Activating autophagy may enhance NK cell-mediated antiviral and anticancer activities.
  • Understanding autophagy's role in ILCs opens new avenues for immunotherapy.